Getty Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis #13 at Highmark Stadium on October 15, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills head into the back half of the season in a precarious position. With a 5-4 record, the Bills are dangerously close to missing the playoffs if they can’t immediately turn things around.
Despite having a heavily banged-up defense, it’s the Bills offense that’s failing to deliver. Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Co. have at times displayed of brilliant, exciting football, but that spark has seemingly fizzled out.
Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis was brutally honest about Buffalo’s offensive issues before facing the Denver Broncos (3-5) in Week 10.
“This is probably the most adversity we’ve had to go through since I’ve been here,” Davis told The Athletic, a bold statement considering everything the team went through last season. “It feels like there’s something missing, you know? We’ve shown that we can play at a high level, but the consistency makes us think, ‘What the f*** is going on?’”
After catching 12 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown during Buffalo’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davis laid a goose egg on two targets during their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“At the end of the day, it’s our team,” Davis added. “The media, the coaches, the fans, anybody can say whatever they want. We just have to believe in each other and play for each other and have the same agenda. I think we do have that, but the inconsistency is killing us all.”
Bills OC Ken Dorsey Defended Gabe Davis’ Lackluster Performance
Davis, the Bills fourth-round pick from the 2020 NFL draft, is midway through the final year of his contract with Buffalo. Much like last year, there were high hopes for Davis to step us as the clear WR2 behind Stefon Diggs.
While the 24-year-old receiver was voted team captain this season, he remains a polarizing figure for Bills Mafia. Fans are weary of him receiving a massive contract extension due to his lack of production. Spotrac.com projects the Central Florida alum’s market value will demand a four-year, $49 million contract.
Over the past three weeks, second-year receiver Khalil Shakir and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid have far outperformed Davis.
After failing to record a catch against the Bengals, the Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey defended Davis’ performance.
“Gabe just did so many other things that helped our offense in some critical ways for some plays that were successful last night that just go unnoticed,” Dorsey told reporters. “There were some plays that were designed for him that unfortunately we just didn’t find him on those plays.
“We’ve got to keep him involved because he’s a great player for us. I’ve got to make sure that I continue to give him some variation to put him in some different spots. He really is a great player for us, extremely unselfish but can make game-changing type plays.”
The Bills Offense Held a Players-Only Meeting Ahead of Broncos Showdown on Monday Night Football
Trent Sherfield explaining the atmosphere in the locker room that led to today’s players only offensive meeting:
“It’s not because the building was burning down… it’s because we know the talent we have in that room.”
Bills running back Latavius Murray held a players-only meeting for the offensive squad on November 9.
Bills wide receiver Trent Sherfield said of the private gathering, “The meeting wasn’t called because the building was burning down or panicking or anything like that. The meeting was called because we know the talent we have in that room. And obviously, we haven’t really been holding up to those expectations.”
“To kind of the get coaches out of the way — because at the end of the day, it’s players league. We’re the ones out there playing. Latavius touched on some great things. It was an open dialogue. Everybody had something to say as far as ‘What can we do better?'”
Shakir said the meeting was held to make “sure all of our heads are right. He’s there to remind us of who we are. You look to your right and look to your left, and everywhere you look, there’s a dog around you. That’s kind of his main message.”