Vernon Davis Confused with Role on Denver Broncos

Vernon Davis, acquired just over two weeks ago, seems confused and irritated over his role with the Denver Broncos.

The Denver Broncos traded two sixth round picks to the San Francisco 49ers for Vernon Davis and a seventh round pick. The trade with the 49ers looked to boost the Broncos’ tight end corps, but so far, Vernon Davis remains relatively absent from the Broncos’ passing game, only accumulating two receptions, for 19 yards, on three targets. Vernon Davis figured to usurp Owen Daniels as the lead tight end, but that has not been the case thus far.

In Vernon Davis’ first game with the Denver Broncos, he played in garbage time and only was targeted once by Peyton Manning. Things did not get much better against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball, and ultimately, Peyton Manning was pulled for ineffectiveness (and a supposed injury). After Manning was pulled for Brock Osweiler, Vernon Davis saw four targets in garbage time, catching two of them for 19 yards.

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The two catches in garbage time against the Chiefs marked the first two receptions of Vernon Davis’ young career. After two weeks in the Broncos’ organization, Davis seems confused about his role moving forward, because why would the Broncos trade for him if they plan on using him so little? Davis clamored at the move by the Broncos, hoping it would rejuvenate his career after a career-low season in 2014. However, Vernon Davis voiced his concerns publicly to Denver’s Mike Klis at 9News.

"“I thought I was going to play a lot, too. I was confused. I thought I would play a lot more than that. Very confused.” – Vernon Davis"

Obviously, Vernon Davis wants a larger role with the Denver Broncos. He did not move from a poor situation in San Francisco to not play in Denver. Thus, the Broncos need to utilize his services while he is still in his prime. Gary Kubiak has an extensive history with Owen Daniels as his tight end, so perhaps that plays into some of Kubiak’s reasoning. However, Vernon Davis is definitely the superior pass-catching tight end out of the two.

With the Denver Broncos’ offense struggling as of late, the Broncos need to explore options that could help their offense moving forward. Perhaps, Brock Osweiler replacing Peyton Manning does wonders for the Broncos’ offense, but he needs weapons to target. Emmanuel Sanders continues to have a lingering ankle injury, so his status for Sunday remains in limbo. He is expected to play, but it is not a given. With his injury, the Broncos may choose to use two tight end sets more in the upcoming week against the Chicago Bears.

Next: Denver Broncos: Better Off without Peyton Manning?

The Denver Broncos travel on the road to take on the Chicago Bears. With John Fox as the head coach of the Bears, the Broncos have a stiff test ahead of them. The Denver Broncos need to include Vernon Davis in their future plans. If the Broncos can effectively pass the ball, maybe it opens up the running lanes for their anemic run game. Look for the Broncos to get back into the win column on Sunday against the Bears.

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