Buffalo Bills: Breaking down top plays of Gabriel Davis

Willing Blocker

Another play worth noting against East Carolina is Davis’ ability to make his presence felt on a play where he isn’t given the ball.

On a first-and-10 from the UCF 45-yard line, Davis is not the target but a big reason as to why the play gains the yardage it does. As quarterback Dillon Gabriel drops back to pass, Davis is seemingly open along the left side of the field as the corner covering him has his hips turned to the inside of the field.

Dillon Gabriel instead finds a crossing slot receiver, Marlon Williams. Williams catches the ball and turns to go upfield. By the time he crosses the 30-yard line, he is met by three Pirate defensive backs. This is where Davis jumps into the play as a blocker. He engages with the corner, plowing him back towards the goal line. In doing so, he creates a path for Williams to follow on route to the endzone. Though the play does not end in a score, the block created by Davis allowed his teammate to gain an additional 13 yards on the play.

It is often rare that a wide receiver will jump in to block during the last moments of a play. Normally, there is a blocking aspect that is mandatory at the beginning of a play not a lot of skill-position players do not seek out to blocks. This is a very attractive part of Davis’ game that could make him a start on Buffalo’s special teams’ unit in 2020.

Some of the best gunners in NFL history have been wide reviews such as Buffalo Bills’ own Steve Tasker. If Davis is not given many reps at his natural position, his ability to get physical further downfield could allow him to create plays somewhere unnatural to him.