San Francisco 49ers: Return of Frank Gore Huge for Braylon Edwards

The San Francisco 49ers need Frank Gore to be a part of their offense this year but Braylon Edwards needs him even more.

Gore is currently embroiled in a standoff with the franchise that he has been such an integral part of over the past few years. He has returned to the team and has said that he is happy to be back with his teammates but remains frustrated with his contract situation.

His frustration comes from the fact that he is set to earn $2.9 million in base salary this season. This isn't exactly a fair reward for a player that has been their best offensive weapon for the best part of six NFL seasons.

The 49ers already gave Vernon Davis a six-year deal for more than $42 million last season so they are not afraid to pay their best players. However, what may be deterring the team from giving in to Gore's demands is his injury history.

The 28 year old has only completed one full 16 game season throughout his whole career. He finished last season on IR after suffering a serious hip injury. In Gore's defense he has double-digit starts in the five seasons that he has been the team's starter.

The 49ers may have another incentive to let Gore play out his contract year however.

Gore is a brutal runner. He is one of the most physical and imposing backs in the league that can batter his way between the tackles or break to the outside and bowl over defensive backs. His career average of 4.7 yards is impressive when you consider he is consistently running through the meat of a defense and punishing defenders.

He is a violent runner and the extra incentive of hitting free agency after this season could see him put up huge numbers this year.

This would be a massive boost to first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is looking to take the pressure off of Alex Smith.

Harbaugh brought in Braylon Edwards during the offseason in order to help the passing game, but Edwards really needs an established running game to flourish at this stage of his career.

He will never be a possession receiver as his concentration is lacking, which has made him infamous for dropping the football. He is also not the most agile of receivers and will never be the guy making the tough catch over the middle.

However, Edwards still has a lot to offer the 49ers as far as big plays go. The 49ers brought Edwards in for his ability to make plays down the field. At 28 years of age he still has the speed to beat defenders deep and his 6'3" size advantage will always make him dangerous in jump ball situations.

The former Cleveland Brown averaged a career best 17.1 yards per reception last year with the New York Jets. This is largely due to Edwards success as part of play action. He is the perfect receiver to take advantage of a defense creeping up to stop the run or simply playing with eight men in the box.

With Frank Gore in the backfield Braylon Edwards would become much more valuable to the San Francisco 49ers opposed to Anthony Dixon.