Vernon Davis gives Redskins solid TE depth – Today's Pigskin (blog)
Tight end has become a high-profile position with the Washington Redskins and now that unit is only getting better.
In 2015, we saw Jordan Reed emerge as the Redskins’ top receiving option and one of the best tight ends in the league. Reed’s 952 receiving yards ranked fifth among tight ends last season and his 11 touchdowns tied him for second, with none other than Rob Gronkowski.
Reed provided a huge spark for the Redskins last season at the tight end position, but now, that position group in Washington is about to get even better, as Vernon Davis is set to become a Redskin.
Davis, a D.C. native who attended nearby Maryland, is obviously ecstatic to return home. Additionally, he’s likely excited to prove that his play last season with Denver will not be the standard for the latter stage of his career. After getting traded mid-season from San Francisco to Denver in 2015, Davis struggled. He didn’t fit in perfectly with the Broncos system and notched just 20 catches and 201 yards receiving in nine games with Denver.
Even more glaring than his stat line was Davis’ relative disappearance down the stretch for the Broncos. Across three playoff games, Davis couldn’t even manage a single reception and was relegated to strictly blocking duties. His disappearance likely diminished some of his value in free agency, but clearly that didn’t scare off Washington.
It’s worth noting that much of what attracted Washington to Davis is likely his familiarity with the Redskins’ organization. In addition to being from D.C., Davis has a relationship with current Redskins GM Scot McGloughan, who was the vice president of player personnel with the San Francisco 49ers when the team drafted the Maryland tight end.
Thus, it seems no accident that when McGloughan looked to bolster the Redskins’ blocking from the tight end position, Davis was the first name that came to mind.
It seems that much of Davis’ struggles last season surrounded his inability to adjust to life in Denver. Davis had spent the entirety of his career in San Francisco and grown familiar with the 49ers system, making it difficult for him to pick up a new offense mid-season.
With a full preseason playing for the Redskins, it seems unlikely that Davis will run into those same difficulties. The comfort of playing for his hometown team will likely help the veteran tight end adjust quickly to life in Washington.
Regardless of how quickly, if ever, Davis can regain his previous form, no one can deny how formidable the Redskins’ tight ends will be next season. Jordan Reed has undeniably become a top five pass catching tight end in the league over the past couple of seasons and his connection with Kirk Cousins seems to have even furthered his development.
The presence of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson on the outside will make it difficult for safeties to key in on Davis, leaving linebackers to cover the 6’3″, 250-pound tight end. Davis has made a career out of torching NFL linebackers and while that task might be more difficult at 32 than it was in his earlier days, a player of Vernon’s caliber should have something left in the tank.
While the Redskins are certainly taking a risk on a veteran who has underperformed in the last couple of seasons, the fit of Davis in Washington just seemed too good to pass up. If he can return to even a sliver of his past form, the Redskins could have one of the most dangerous receiving cores in the entire NFL, utilizing two very talented tight ends as the centerpieces.
