The San Francisco 49ers failed to reach the reach the playoffs last season, and one of the main reasons for that was because Vernon Davis was nonexistent. He may have been nursing an ankle injury all season but there were times when Davis was hurting the team by being on the field. Regardless, he will need to bounce back and give the 49ers better production this season.

Davis is a big tight end with good speed which allows him to beat linebackers on passing routes. His size allows him to beat defensive backs to the ball when it is in the air, and this combination makes him a difficult player to prepare for.

Davis finished last season with just 245 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 26 catches. His two touchdowns came in the first regular season game. After that game, he hardly made an impact. Last season was Davis’ least productive season since his rookie year in 2006. There have been a lot of changes with the 49ers, so the team needs him to recover from this abysmal season and revert back to his elite form.

Davis could be the top passing option for the 49ers this season after losing Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson in free agency. The team managed to sign Torrey Smith and they still have Anquan Boldin, but aside from that, their passing options are limited. Receivers Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton do not have much NFL experience and Davis’ backup, Vance McDonald, has only been used in a supporting role.

Colin Kaepernick is still the quarterback for the 49ers which should be considered a good thing for Davis, because he has traditionally been Kaepernick’s favorite target. If there is one reason to believe Davis can have a bounce-back year, that is it. Davis and Kaepernick have had good chemistry since Kap became the starting quarterback in 2012.

The 49ers still believe they can compete in a tough NFC West division. In order for that the happen, the offense needs to cover for all the losses on the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers will need to rely on Davis to be a primary passing option and hope he bounces back with a much better 2015 season.