Members of Buffalo Bills Mafia may be able to start calling him Babe Davis again.
The Bills are reportedly hosting veteran former wideout Gabe Davis on Friday, and if all goes well he could bolster their suddenly thin wide receivers room that has been decimated by injury.
Davis played his first four seasons in Western New York, mainly as the Bills‘ No. 2 receiver behind Stefon Diggs. He had 163 catches for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns with Buffalo, plus 22 catches for 474 and six TDs in seven playoff games.
Davis spent the 2024 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with whom he signed a three-year, $39 million contract in March of that year. But he had just 20 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and the Jaguars released him in March.
Why Are The Bills Bringing In Gabriel Davis?
There is no guarantee of a reunion between Davis and the Bills, but Buffalo seems like the best landing spot for the sixth-year receiver, especially after Davis reportedly visited the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday and left without securing a contract.
Buffalo’s wide receiver corps is young, keyed by Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir. The Bills signed Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore in free agency, and journeymen Curtis Samuel, K.J. Hamler and Laviska Shenault Jr. are all battling for spots, but the Nos. 4/5 are squarely up for grabs.
With quarterback Josh Allen coming off an MVP campaign, the Bills are hoping to take the onus off him this season. So bringing in Davis as a low-cost option who already knows the offense and has a rapport with Allen makes a lot of sense, especially with Davis almost fully recovered from a knee injury that cost him seven games last year, could be the perfect add.
What Did The Bills Say About Gabe Davis?
Davis is a fan favorite, since he had one of the most prolific playoff games in NFL history when he put up eight catches for 201 yards and four touchdowns in Buffalo’s 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 23, 2022.
So when asked about potentially adding Davis, Allen gushed.
“I love Gabe and I’m sure I’ll see him over the next day or two,” Allen said, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. “He was awesome when he was here, and now he’s getting back to full health here soon. So, who knows? We’ll see.”
The Steelers reportedly did not sign him due to their concerns about his medical history, even though Davis is just 26 years old.
Bills coach Sean McDermott was asked about the team’s wideout group, and he admitted some concern over the depth.
“We’ve got a number of guys, and it’s really trying to figure out – I think we got a pretty good feel for one, two, three, but who’s four, five, six?” McDermott said before the Bills practiced Tuesday. “Once you get kind of after that third person there, it’s trying to figure out who the rest of them are and how they can help us, not only on offense but on special teams.
“[We are] always trying to maneuver, figure out the puzzle of the roster this time of year and the numbers and how it’s going to affect special teams and vice versa.”
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