Each offseason, NFL teams hope they can find additions to their team that can turn out to be game changers.
The Buffalo Bills won’t have to look far to find one for their offense.
Pro Football Focus named their top-101 players from the 2021 NFL season. The football analytics outlet slid Gabriel Davis’ name in there at No. 93 overall.
If the Bills are looking to find a new “addition” to their offense for 2022, Davis is one that’s right under their nose after his late-season breakout.
Regarding his placement, here’s how PFF explains Davis’ selection:
93. WR GABRIEL DAVIS, BUFFALO BILLS
2021 Snaps: 635 | 2021 PFF Grade: 83.1Davis began the season buried on the Bills depth chart and was barely a factor for most of the year. But the more the team used him, the bigger an impact he made. His season culminated with an absolute destruction of the Kansas City secondary, where he caught eight of the 10 passes thrown his way for 201 yards and four touchdowns. He caught 11 touchdowns from only 74 targets, with passes thrown his way generating an absurd passer rating of 131.3.
PFF 101 Rank, 2020: unranked
Yes, Davis won’t be a new player on the Bills. But moving forward, he proved there’s no reason he should not be starting for Buffalo. Early on last season, receiver Emmanuel Sanders was starting for the Bills across from Stefon Diggs.
Sanders is a free agent, but Davis has earned the right to play early and often for the Bills next season even if the vet is back.
Had Davis’ 635 snaps played increased, he could be even higher on this list. Others above Davis do have less snaps played, but some, such as fellow wideout AJ Brown, have a smaller number of snaps because of injury. That can’t really be said for Davis, his usage just wasn’t there.
It’s going to be really hard for the coaching staff in Buffalo to find reason to keep Davis on the bench come September.
His record four-touchdown outing for the Bills in the postseason put the entire NFL on notice that he’s ready for a big-time role… including his own team.
Overall, Davis had 35 catch for 549 yards with six touchdowns in 2021. That came from only four starts.
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