Buffalo Bills still have confidence in Gabe Davis going into 2023 season

One of the focuses for the Buffalo Bills this offseason was expected to be the wide receiver position after limited production this past season after Stefon Diggs. However, it would appear based on comments by Brandon Beane at the NFL Combine that they are prepared to move forward with Gabe Davis as their number two wide receiver.

In a video posted on Twitter by Dan Fetes with 13WHAM Brandon Beane said that he still has a lot of confidence in Gabe Davis entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Beane went on to say that the high ankle injury he suffered in practice before the Bills’ Week 2 matchup with the Tennessee Titans seemed to be an issue for him for most of the season. He would only miss one game but it could have impacted his performance on the field. Brandon Beane said it wasn’t until after Thanksgiving that he really saw him moving the way he used to.

Buffalo Bills need Gabe Davis to improve drops moving forward

Even with the ankle injury, Gabe Davis was able to set career highs this past season with 48 receptions, 843 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. He also had some huge games, like in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with 171 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. One of those touchdowns went for 98 yards and tied a franchise record.

However, one area that was an issue was drops as Davis would have nine drops on the season and his drop rate has increased every year in the league from 4.8% as a rookie to 7.9% in 2021 to 9.7% this past season according to Pro Football Reference.

While the hope was that Gabe Davis would have a breakout season in his first year as a full-time starter last year, that would end up just not being the case. It is a bit of a risk for the team to go into the 2023 season with him as their number two but he is still young and the potential still is there for him to be a reliable receiver on the outside opposite Stefon Diggs.