After he set an NFL record with four touchdowns in a 2022 playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, it looked as if Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis was headed to a breakout season.
Davis did follow the performance with the best and most productive season of his career, making 48 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns, but fell short of the expectations and struggled with inconsistent play. Now, there are rumors that the Bills could move on from Davis, with a New York Daily News reporter Pat Leonard hinting that the Giants could be interested in trading for him and another insider suggesting the Bills take the chance.
New Home for Gabe Davis?
Leonard’s suggestion appeared to be based mostly on reports that the Giants are looking to upgrade their receiving corps and familiarity between head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen — who both came from the Bills last offseason — and Davis.
CBS Sports writer Chris Trapasso said if the Bills had the opportunity to flip Davis for a second-day draft pick, they should do it without hesitation.
“Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis could be a potential trade target if Buffalo can’t reach an extension with its No. 2 wideout who has shown No. 1 ability. It’s no secret that Schoen and Daboll have a high affinity for Davis.” – @PLeonardNYDN #TogetherBlue
“I know it was solely speculation from a beat writer based on his report about the Giants peeking around the WR trade market, but if the Bills can trade Gabriel Davis… (and presumably get a mid-round pick) they need to jump at that opportunity IMO,” Trapasso wrote.
Despite a season in which he went quiet for long stretches and struggled with drops, Davis appears to still have the full faith of the Bills’ front office. Speaking at the NFL Combine, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the expectations on him were probably too high.
“Coming off that Kansas City game the year before, people probably had some unrealistic expectations,” Beane said, via the Democrat and Chronicle.
Beane added that Davis had a high-ankle sprain suffered prior to Week 2 that continued to bother him throughout the year, impacting his performance.
“Not to make excuses, but it definitely bothered him,” Beane said. “You can just watch the film when he was coming out of his cuts, he was taking an extra step which allowed that defender to stay attached to him as well.”
“He had a few drops that he definitely wants back, but I’ve got a lot of faith in Gabe.”
But Trapasso believes there could be some ulterior motives for the praise from Beane. When a commenter on Twitter noted that Beane’s praise may be an attempt to keep Davis’s trade value high should the team decide to explore a trade.
Bills Expected to Upgrade Receiving Corps
It’s not clear how motivated the Bills might be to trade Davis, especially given speculation that the team is looking to upgrade its receiving corps rather than subtract from it. Insiders have pegged Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Cincinnati Bengals pass-catcher Tee Higgins as potential targets.
But ESPN’s Football Outsiders believes the Bills will make it an offseason priority to find a true No. 2 receiver to play alongside All-Pro Stefon Diggs, but noted that Davis was “serviceable” in the role last season.
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Bills Advised to ‘Jump’ at Chance to Trade WR Gabe Davis