While there’s heavy speculation surrounding the possibility of Odell Beckham Jr. landing with the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Josh Allen had been quietly working to get another wide receiver as a teammate, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Chrisitan Kirk.
Back in February, before Jacksonville offered the former Arizona Cardinals player a four-year, $72 million contract, Kirk went on a couples vacation with Allen, his girlfriend, Brittany Williams, along with Houston Texans quarterback Kyle Allen, and his now fiance, Summer Juraszek.
While Twitter instantly filled with rumors that the Bills superstar was possibly recruiting Kirk to Buffalo, the 25-year-old receiver confirmed as such during a recent appearance on Kyle Allen’s podcast, The Room, an episode which has since been made private.
“Josh is one of our boys, as everyone knows,” Kirk told his former Texas A&M teammate. “So when we were on vacation talking about Buffalo… the funniest part about it is Josh is sitting there telling me, ‘Bro, Buffalo’s not that cold. It’s not that cold. You’ll be fine.’ And I’m sitting here looking at him like, ‘You’re lying to me.'”
“You’re not going to be able to convince me that Buffalo is not cold,” Kirk continued, per Sports Illustrated. “I do not function well in cold, and I know that it’s cold there, bottom line. So for him to be like ‘Yeah bro, it’s not cold,’ I’m like ‘Oh okay, yeah, for sure, I’m still not going.'”
Thus far this season, Kirk is thriving in Jacksonville with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, recording 18 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Gabe Davis’ Struggle to Stay Healthy Has Opened the Door for More Beckham Rumors
GettyWide receiver Gabe Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills can’t quite hold on to the ball during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Before the season started, the idea of adding a player like Beckham almost seemed superfluous since Allen already had a room full of weapons on offense, including his No. 1 receiver, Stefon Diggs, tight end Dawson Knox, slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie, and last season’s playoff breakout star, Gabe Davis.
While Davis caught Allen’s first touchdown of the 2022 NFL season during their road win over the Los Angeles Rams, but subsequently suffered a non-contact ankle injury during practice and was ruled out for the Bills’ Week 2 game against the Tennessee Titans.
The 23-year-old was able to return to action for the Bills’ first divisional matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. While Davis only caught three passes for 37 yards during Buffalo’s 21-19 loss in Miami, several NFL analysts, including NBC Sports‘ Matthew Berry and Bleacher Report‘s Gary Davenport were hyping Davis up for a breakout Sunday against the Ravens.
However, Davis reaggravated his ankle running drills in practice this past week and remains questionable to play on Sunday.
While Von Miller has been the most vocal about the benefits of adding a three-time Pro Bowler like Beckham to the team, Diggs recently told Heavy Sports that he’s also advocating for the highly sought-after free agent to land in Buffalo.
“Yeah, 100%,” Diggs said, even though Beckham would likely eat into his target level. “I already talked to Gabe, he be taking my targets too. We got a lot of talent on his offense. So, like him being here would just be some more cherry on top. We got a good a** team right now.”
The 28-year-old receiver used a boxing metaphor to describe exactly what the three-time Pro Bowler could provide Allen on offense.
“Especially, considering the guy that we have, you know, he’ll be another little, extra little, Ugh, like that we’ve been working the jab for a while, and then we’d get the right hook in there. The guy that can come in and be spicy, be exciting, and make a lot of plays. So, you know, if it ends up shaking out that way, I wouldn’t be mad.”
The Bills Offense Is Slightly Banged Up Heading into Week 4
The Bills enter Week 4 as 3.5-point favorites to defeat quarterback Lamar Jackson and Ravens, however, it seems they will have most their starters ready to go.
While Davis announced on Friday that he’ll be ready to go for Sunday’s game, backup receiver Jake Kumerow has already been ruled out after suffering an high ankle sprain against the Dolphins.
Buffalo may activate rookie Khalil Shakir if Davis remains, however, the bulk of Allen’s passes would still likely go to Diggs, Isaiah McKenzie, and possibly, fullback Reggie Gilliam. Tight end Dawson Knox has been limited in practice all week with a back/hip injury, but is expected to play.
As for the offensive line, the Bills added more depth on Tuesday by signing former Cardinals guard/tackle Justin Murray, who was limited on Thursday with a foot injury. Ryan Bates was upgraded to limited after suffering a concussion against the Dolphins, will be ready to go, while center Mitch Morse, who’s been dealing with an elbow injury, remains questionable.
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