With Dawson Knox out, Gabriel Davis could be answer to Bills’ problem
He’s behind Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders.
That’s been the general understanding from the Bills coaching staff when asked about the whereabouts of Gabriel Davis in the Bills offense so far in 2021.
On the surface, it may make some sense. Especially when name value is everything in the NFL, but for a team with no homegrown talent at the top of its wide receiver depth chart, the steep drop off for Davis has been surprising.
However, with the recent injury to tight end Dawson Knox, Davis should see an uptick in usage in the near future. But based on his performance last year, why did his snap count fall so far?
Davis earned the second-highest performance bonus in 2020 amongst Bills players, having seen 70.6 percent of total snaps with the team in his first season. He well outperformed his draft position a year ago.
In 2021, Davis hasn’t seen above 50 percent of snaps in a game since Week 1 against the Steelers despite his Year 1 successes.
Last season, Davis stepped in for an injured John Brown in a big way, catching 35 passes for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s an average of 17.1 yards per reception, which was the fourth-highest amongst wide receivers in the NFL.
Davis pushed the chains, using some “toe-drag swag” in the Bills’ first home playoff game in 20 years against the Colts. And he was available, which is the ultimate ability in the NFL.
That’s the general summary of Davis’s rookie season.
This year, Davis currently sits at a measly 10 targets with six catches, and even in the blowout victories against the Texans and Dolphins, he was only used and targeted once between the two games.
When looking across some of the better teams across the NFL, teams like the Buccaneers, Packers, Ravens and more, they are finding ways to utilize their depth charts in the passing game, and it’s surprising how much that Buffalo hasn’t done that themselves.
If Davis preforms well in the near future, he could also be a key to the Bills solving a big problem the team has had this year.
A known strong offense in the NFL which Pro Football Focus recently named the third best in the entire league… Buffalo still has its issues.
The Bills aren’t scoring very well in the red zone.
Overall, Buffalo has the 27th best red zone offense in terms of their touchdown percentage. That is very low for an NFL team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Those struggles were obvious against the Titans in Week 6, as the offense sputtered, and depended frequently on kicker Tyler Bass for points. The Bills offense needs to evolve and it’s time to cash in on their hidden gem wide receiver.
Even when Knox returns, Davis should be could still be featured heavily in this offense. He’s a playmaker, and has proven it.
In only his second season, Davis could be a long-term answer at the position, instead of trading draft capital in the future or hoping that a talent who was released from another team can come in for the rising asking prices.
Week 8 against the Dolphins will be very telling for the Bills intentions and future plans for Davis.
