Finding a legitimate go-to wide receiver has proved difficult for the New York Giants and Brian Daboll. The head coach can solve the problem by turning to “mercurial but explosive” Gabe Davis, who played for Daboll with the Buffalo Bills.
Davis makes sense because the Giants “desperately need more juice out wide,” according to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. As Benjamin noted, “Davis is mercurial but explosive, offering ridiculous speed on the perimeter.”
The speed in Davis’ game is what the Giants lack. At least in theory. Last year’s third-round draft pick Jalin Hyatt can stretch the field, but he struggled for targets, amid concerns his skill-set is limited.
Davis, by contrast, went from raw prospect to well-rounded pro wideout on Daboll’s watch. The two worked together during the 2020 and ’21 campaigns, when Davis spent most of his time as a supporting act to All-Pro pass-catcher Stefon Diggs.
A move to the Giants to play in a scheme he knows well could be Davis’ chance to finally be a No. 1 target.
Gabe Davis a Great Fit for Brian Daboll, Giants
Daboll turned Davis into an efficient deep threat as a rookie, per PFF BUF Bills.
Gabe Davis had 61 deep targets with 0 drops
💎🤲🏾🤲🏾💎 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/A5FF7nEaKE
— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) February 24, 2021
The player tallied 17.1 yards per reception in 2020, then 15.7 in his second season, per Pro Football Reference. Davis was no run-after-catch playmaker, but he did amass yards in big chunks. That was evidenced by passes travelling 468 total yards in the air before reaching Davis in 2020, then 409 a year later.
Davis continued to take the top off of defenses even after Daboll took the main job with the Giants in 2022. A 57-yard scoring catch against the Los Angeles Chargers last season proved Davis remains a quick-strike target.
ONE PLAY. 57 YARDS. Allen to Davis!#BUFvsLAC on Peacock
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/eeNRIfK0VS pic.twitter.com/gP8kyL6vHE— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2023
At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Davis is the kind of big-bodied playmaker on the outside the Giants need. He’s also likely to be available on the market, based on his recent social-media activity.
Gabe Davis a Realistitic Option in Free Agency
Davis recently posted on X a retrospective of his time with the Bills.
🫶🏾🦬
Shoutout to @Josh_Pohlman videographer and @Cover1 best stats in the game pic.twitter.com/B4x4LmbgMQ
— Gabe Davis (@gabedavisO) February 20, 2024
The message “felt like a goodbye,” according to Henry McKenna of Fox Sports. Yet, McKenna also revealed “that’s not exactly what it was, according to a source close to Davis. The video was supposed to be an homage to Davis’ work for Buffalo and to celebrate what he accomplished on his first contract. It wasn’t necessarily to indicate that his Bills tenure was coming to an end.”
Davis is up for a return to Buffalo, but he remains a realistic option for the Giants. Especially when his familiarity with Daboll is combined with market value Spotrac.com projects to be $13.6 million annually over four years.
It’s a hefty sum, but one affordable for the Giants. The franchise is set to have $38,916,449 worth of space under the salary cap.
That’s more than enough for Daboll to finally end his team’s search for a top-tier addition to a pedestrian passing game. Putting Davis alongside an improving Hyatt, highly regarded slot specialist Wan’Dale Robinson and healthy again Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, would give Daboll what he needs to expand this offense.
