After much speculation, the San Francisco 49ers traded Vernon Davis after 10 years with the team. The veteran tight end was playing out the final year of his contract on a team destined for a top-five draft pick which made him easy trade bait. The Denver Broncos acquired the veteran for late draft picks in hopes that he can keep the undefeated record going. After getting Davis, is John Elway done with roster moves before the Tuesday deadline?
According to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, the Broncos offered a 2016 first-round draft pick for left tackle Joe Thomas, but was turned down. According to Grossi, the Browns wanted more than just the draft pick as they were also asking for linebacker Shaq Bennett and the Broncos determined that was asking for too much. That means the Broncos are still interested in making a few last-minute trade deals as they remain undefeated in the season.
According to Elway, he is listening to other trade deals especially at the offensive line. Rookie and first-round draft pick Ty Sambrailo is out for the yaer with a torn labrum meaning there is need for additions. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Eugene Monroe could be available along with Amini Silatolu at the deadline. That would help give Manning needed protection along with getting the struggling run game going again.
The addition of Davis gives Gary Kubiak the chance to run the offense he likes. The Broncos have not gotten much production out of their tight ends this year after the loss of Julius Thomas. Virgil Green and Owen Daniels have simply not been getting the job done. The addition of Davis should help in that effort as Kubiak aims to open the offense up more for Manning.
"I know that everyone looks at it as we're trying to win it now, and we're all in for now," said Elway, via USA Today. "Vernon is definitely going to come in and help us. The compensation, we thought, was fair and we'll go from there. We're trying to win from now on, but this will be a big step for us to win this season."
The addition of Davis does help the Broncos win-now mentality as the team has no idea how much longer they will have Manning under center. The biggest need for Denver right now is getting the run game more involved as both Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson struggle. According to the Denver Post, Hillman will remain the starter moving forward, but Anderson must begin to play better.
