49ers deal Vance McDonald to the Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers upgraded their tight end situation by acquiring Vance McDonald from the San Francisco 49ers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers struggled to find much consistency from their tight end position since Heath Miller retired a few seasons ago. They signed Ladarius Green last offseason in the hopes of finding stability at the position, but he was ultimately released after never really being able to recover from multiple injuries. Jesse James showed some promise last season, but the Steelers still weren’t completely convinced they were set at the position.

The San Francisco 49ers have been said to be shopping Vance McDonald, but seemed like they might have had to wait until the regular season for a deal to come to fruition. That was until they agreed to a deal with the Steelers, which landed them a fourth-round pick, for McDonald and a fifth-round pick.

It seems to be a great get for Pittsburgh who didn’t give up much to get more depth at the position. The trade also allowed the 49ers to shed McDonald’s contract off their books, as they continue to piece together their new roster under new head coach Kyle Shanahan, and general manager John Lynch.

Next: Top 25 Super Bowl moments of all-time

McDonald and James figure to split most of the reps at the position, until one of them emerges as the primary target at the position. McDonald is in a far better situation to succeed as he will be featured in a dynamic offense that has legitimate stars in Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, who will help draw attention away from him on the offensive end.

The trade can also motivate James to continue working on his craft, and the two will almost certainly motivate each other to improve. Pittsburgh will begin their regular season in Cleveland, on Sept. 10.