49ers Vernon Davis cleared for non-contact drills

After suffering what was described as a “mild concussion”, San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis has been cleared to participate in non-contact drills at this stage in the concussion protocol.  The hit that caused the injury was suffered early on in the game against Carolina this past Sunday and he was clearly missed.  It is unclear how likely it is that Davis will be able to play in a huge game on the road against the New Orleans Saints at this point, but the 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick are definitely hopeful he can, given how much of an impact his absence made in their loss to the Panthers.

The 49ers are already shorthanded at wide receiver with several injuries in addition to the fact that Davis is one of, if not the biggest weapon on the team.  Rookie tight end Vance McDonald has a ton of talent but has had trouble transitioning from college, which was not entirely surprising given how raw he was coming out of Rice.  Davis has to be smart and follow the concussion protocol, but he could certainly be a big boost for the 49ers as hope to beat a likely playoff team in the 7-2 Saints and keep pace with the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West division title.