Vernon Davis won't have Julius Thomas' impact because he's not in the same offense. Thomas found space and mismatches in an aerial circus. Open receivers littered the field under offensive coordinator Adam Gase. It created eye-opening statistics but fell short of a championship.
Davis has regressed the last two seasons, in part, because of quarterback Colin Kaepernick's thud back to earth. That said, Davis provides a tantalizing weapon for an offense that is starting to hum. He frees coach Gary Kubiak to use two and three tight end sets. His offense works best when it runs variations off the same look with tight ends. Owen Daniels and Virgil Green produced their season's best game in the win over the Packers. Davis should only enhance the position.
The story added Davis brings unique speed, which should open the seam route that Thomas ran so well. And with a fresh start and a veteran quarterback in Peyton Manning, Davis could re-emerge as a red-zone threat. He may need some time to learn the new system, but is worth a pickup if you're looking to upgrade the position and given Manning's success throwing to the position over his career.