It has been tough for Brian Daboll and the New York Giants to find a reliable wide receiver. The “mercurial but explosive” Gabe Davis, a former Buffalo Bills player under Daboll, could be the head coach’s solution.
According to CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, the Giants “desperately need more juice out wide,” thus Davis makes sense. “Davis is mercurial but explosive, offering ridiculous speed on the perimeter,” Benjamin observed.
What the Giants lack in Davis’ game is speed. In theory, however. Jalin Hyatt was a third-round draft pick last year, but despite his ability to spread the field, he had trouble finding targets due to worries about his limited skill set.
Davis, on the other hand, developed under Daboll from a raw prospect to a well-rounded professional wideout. Throughout the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Davis collaborated with All-Pro pass-catcher Stefon Diggs, primarily serving as his backup.
It may be Davis’s chance to finally be a top target if he decides to play for the Giants in a scheme he is familiar with.
According to Pro Football Reference, the player recorded 17.1 yards per reception in 2020 and 15.7 in his sophomore campaign. Although Davis did not have a prolific passing game, he did accumulate large amounts of yardage. Passes that traveled 468 total yards in the air before reaching Davis in 2020 and 409 a year later served as proof of it.
Even when Daboll assumed the lead role with the Giants in 2022, Davis persisted in taking the defensive ends off of teams. Davis is still a quick strike target, as seen by his 57-yard score reception against the Los Angeles Chargers the previous season.
Davis, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 225 pounds, is the exact type of large-framed outside player the Giants require. Based on his recent social media activity, he’s probably also on the market.
Henry McKenna of Fox Sports said that the message “felt like a goodbye.” However, McKenna also disclosed that “a source close to Davis says that’s not exactly what it was.” The purpose of the video was to honor Davis’s labor for Buffalo and to commemorate his accomplishments during his first contract. It wasn’t necessarily a sign that his time with the Bills was running out.
Although Davis is open to going back to Buffalo, the Giants still have a chance with him. Particularly considering that Spotrac.com forecasts its market worth to be $13.6 million yearly over a four-year period, and he is familiar with Daboll.
It’s a big amount, but within the Giants’ budget. Under the salary cap, the franchise is expected to have $38,916,449 in room.
That will more than satisfy Daboll, who can now put a stop to his team’s quest for a superior complement to a mediocre passing game. Daboll would have everything he needs to grow this offense if he paired Davis with an increasingly effective Hyatt, respected slot specialist Wan’Dale Robinson, and healthy-again Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller.
