Gabe Davis has yet to operate at full capacity with Jacksonville as he continues to nurse a knee sprain that knocked him out of postseason play with Buffalo earlier this year.
Yet, the Jaguars’ March free-agent wide receiver signee has made a strong impression on those around him during his first offseason in Jacksonville, notably including quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“He’s been great, just [a] hard worker,” Lawrence described Davis Monday. “Obviously he’s still working himself back in but just [a] hard worker.”
Gabe Davis, Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk and Evan Engram. #Jaguars pic.twitter.com/p7TK7lHe0B
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) June 3, 2024
Despite his limitation to routes on air in team activities (OTAs), Davis has made an impact during his short time with Jacksonville, specifically in the classroom setting, per Lawrence.
The 51-game starter, including four in the playoffs, has offered the Jaguars’ wide receiver room and entire offense valuable perspective from his four seasons within the Bills’.
On the end of passes from star quarterback Josh Allen, Davis posted 185 receptions for 3,204 yards and 33 touchdowns over 71 total appearances with Buffalo. The Bills owned a top-10 passing offense in each of Davis’ four seasons with the team, including the No. 3 ranking in 2020.
“He’s smart, he’s a good leader. The way he communicates with the room, he’ll talk about stuff that maybe they did in Buffalo that might be a little bit different, whether it’s concepts or route technique, some things that they did,” Lawrence shared. “You can tell he’s really smart, sees the field, understands coverages.”
Davis was one of three significant additions to Jacksonville’s wide receiver room this offseason, part of the concerted effort the Jaguars made to rebuild the position, even beyond replacing Calvin Ridley, who led the team in receiving yards last season and signed a massive contract with Tennessee in free agency.
Alongside Davis, Jacksonville signed former Baltimore wide receiver and return specialist Devin Duvernay in free agency and selected wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
There remains ample work for Davis to do as he adjusts to catching passes from Lawrence and running routes within Jacksonville offensive coordinator Press Taylor’s scheme. But so far, his early returns with the Jaguars have been positive.
“[Davis] is going to be a great addition for us. And he’s willing to do all the dirty work too, which is cool to see from a receiver,” said Lawrence. “He is willing to block, kind of do whatever he needs to do and obviously he’s a playmaker down the field and that’ll be a good addition for us.”