Is This Bills Reciever Ready To Break Out?
When Gabriel Davis was drafted in 2020, there was some excitement but not too much in terms of expectations. Both Cole Beasley and John Brown had just come off of career years with the team, not to mention the acquisition of Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings. Though John Brown ended up getting injured and only dressing for 9 games, the veteran receivers were the highlight of that season.
Diggs ended up with 1535 yards, while Cole Beasley also broke his career high with 967 yards. Davis seemed to be third in that pecking order, hitting just under 600 yards. Still, fans were pleased to see a promising young talent in Davis score 7 touchdowns his rookie season. He wasn't the team's second option but he showed reason for optimism.
Moving into the 2021 season, the Bills let go of John Brown and fans were excited to think that Davis could become WR2 across from Diggs with Beasley in the slot. Then the Bills signed Emmanuel Sanders and with that signing, the opportunity was taken from Gabriel as he would only receive 549 yards. 2022 was a season that showed some more signs of progression from him, but he would, unfortunately, suffer from an ankle injury that hampered him throughout the season, finishing with 836 yards despite being the WR2 and starting 15 games in an extremely pass-happy offense.
Gabriel Davis Finally Receives His Opportunity
Going into this season, the only receiving competition signed on seems to be that for WR3 and slot receiver options. Though fans would have loved for the Bills to sign DeAndre Hopkins, the money didn't work out and the team seems to have real optimism and hope for Davis going into his 4th season.
Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, along with Davis' teammates have been singing his praises all offseason. After a training camp practice, Stefon Diggs even mentioned that Davis would be WR1 for the Bills had he not been on the team. The Buffalo Bills continue to tell us how much respect and optimism they have for him. So the question remains; how will Gabe perform with the full opportunity and spotlight on a championship contender?
There will undoubtedly be more for Gabe to prove himself worthy of a WR2 contract extension. He does have some added competition with rookie TE Dalton Kincaid in the picture, however, the Bills have proven to have the desire to give their veteran players their dues.
Next Steps For Davis
The Bills are going to rely on Gabriel Davis a lot more this season and he'll need to prove to be more than a field stretcher with impressive flashes. Although the deep balls are always great for the fans to watch when they work, Davis will need to show that he can consistently be trusted to handle the short and work and reliably catch the ball when called upon, cleaning up some drop issues.
Davis has been lighting it up at the last couple of days of training camp, battling it out with the likes of Tre White and Jordan Poyer. He and Josh Allen's connection together seems to be at a really good point so far. The offseason won't be the only place he has to show out, but it is a start.
The University of Central Florida product will need to step up and prove his teammates and coaches right. Bills Mafia is ready and willing to accept Davis as the WR2 of the future. Locking him up alongside Stefon Diggs could end up helping this team contend for years to come.
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