4 49ers Who Could Possibly Struggle Under Chip Kelly
By Rich Madrid
VANCE MCDONALD
Vance McDonald completed his third season emerging as the No. 1 tight end by the end of the season and, after Vernon Davis was traded, he was penciled in ahead of Garrett Celek, who suffered a season-ending injury, and Blake Bell, who was playing his first real snaps as a tight end.
McDonald is in the final year of his rookie contract, with a cap number of $1,145,193. It’s unlikely he’ll be back in a 49ers uniform next season with Celek’s new contract and second-year player Bell fighting for the tight end roles.
McDonald has not helped himself either along the way, capping off 2015 with a career drop rate of 22 percent over three seasons, per Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus.
Vance McDonald's two drops today now give him a drop rate of 22% for his career, lowest of any qualifying TE over the last three years.
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) December 21, 2015
Perhaps most notable to 49ers’ fans was his drop late in the game against Carolina in 2013.
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McDonald finished 2015 with 30 receptions, 326 yards, three touchdowns and six drops — most notably two that he had against the Bengals in Week 15 that went for interceptions.
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Unsurprisingly, in OTAs he picked up where he left off last season and also struggled to catch the ball. However, Grant Cohn of the Press Democrat reports that he did not drop a single pass during minicamp practices, so that’s encouraging. At this point if he does not remedy his struggles, he will not find a place in an offense that relies on speed and tempo to move the chains.
Next: Five Players Who Stand to Benefit the Most Under Chip Kelly
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise indicated.