Getty Wide receiver Gabe Davis of the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis came into the season looking to firmly establish himself as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, but instead has seen his production steadily decrease with no catches in four of the last six games.
The Bills have started to right the ship after an uneven start, moving to 8-6 with a win over the Dallas Cowboys and getting back to the edge of the playoff picture. They have done it despite uneven performances from Davis, who has endured a sharp drop in both production and targets. Davis had 31 catches for 433 yards and four touchdowns through the first eight games of the season, but has just eight catches for 161 yards in the six games since then.
Davis opened up on his decrease in targets this week, expressing some frustration but saying he’s ready to do whatever is best for the team.
“It’s not that easy, but you know I gotta do it,” Davis said, via SI.com’s Zach Dimmitt. “I gotta be and do what my team asks me to do and all I can do is control what I can control. But, you know, I’m doing good in the blocking game and… real confident in that.”
The 24-year-old wide receiver is coming to the end of his rookie contract, and as his role in the offense has diminished, his long-term future in Buffalo has also grown unclear.
Gabe Davis Has Become ‘Invisible’
As Dimmitt noted, Davis has been targeted a total of three times with no catches over the last two weeks. Though Davis still logs a high number of snaps and plays an important role as a blocker, Dimmitt wrote that he has become “nearly invisible” in the receiving game.
Davis said he has worked with quarterback Josh Allen and is willing to do whatever he can to help the team win.
“Me and Josh had a conversation and, you know, again, that’s what the game brings,” Davis said. “You know, we both know that we want each of us to be successful — my success is his success, and vice versa when he’s throwing me the ball. So, it’s not that we don’t want it to happen, but you know, the league is tough and all the stars gotta align for stuff to go your way all the time.”
We’re live as Gabe Davis takes questions from the media after practice.
Bills Find New Approach
Though the Bills built one of the league’s top offenses centered on Allen and the passing game, they found a new approach in last week’s win over the Cowboys. Allen attempted just 15 passes, completing seven for a total of 94 yards, as the Bills rode second-year running back James Cook and his career-best game. Cook had 25 carries for 179 yards, adding two catches for 42 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
After the game, center Mitch Morse hinted that the team would take whatever approach needed to keep winning and climb back into the playoff picture.
“It was kind of all systems go today,” Morse said, via The Associated Press. “We still have an uphill battle, but this is a great first step.”