Vernon Davis re­ports for 49ers duty

The San Francisco 49ers welcomed back a key member of their offensive arsenal as starting tight end Vernon Davis reported to training camp Wednesday morning.

The news of Davis’s return was broken by safety and special teams ace CJ Spillman, who posted a video on Instagram showing Davis slapping hands and laughing with teammates in the locker room at the SAP Training Center in Santa Clara.

Davis’ return to team activities comes just six days after the 49ers rewarded tackle Joe Staley with a two-year contract extension due, in part, to his willingness to participate in the 49ers offseason programs despite a low base salary for the 2014 season.

Davis is set to make $5.1 million this season, the fourth-highest salary for a tight end in the NFL.

With the 49ers taking a firm stance on holdout players, Davis’ decision to attend training camp could signal a willingness to engage general manager Trent Baalke in contract discussions.

Davis, who has already forfeited $270,000 this offseason by skipping his offseason workout and mandatory minicamp, would have incurred a fine of $30,000 per every practice he missed during the 49ers training camp.

Whatever Davis’ reasoning behind for reporting to camp, the 49ers are sure to welcome back the star tight end who plays an instrumental part in both the passing and run game. Davis caught 52 passes for 850-yards and 13 touchdowns during the 2013 season.

With his ability to make a play through the air, Davis’ mere presence on the field, coupled with his ability to pass protect and run block, allows the 49ers to disrupt defensive sets and use a versatile set of offensive plays.

Guard Alex Boone now stands alone in his holdout efforts. While Boone has been quiet in the media, CSN Insider Matt Maiocco states that Boone remains steadfast in his failure to report until he has a new contract.

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