The Buffalo Bills made a big change to their wide receiver room last offseason, getting rid of their top two receivers and adopting a new approach to spread the ball around more evenly to a bigger group of pass-catchers.
The “everybody eats” approach worked as the Bills had one of the NFL’s best passing offenses, but one insider believes the team could bring back one of the players they let go prior to 2024.
Return of Gabe Davis?
After trading No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Bills let No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis leave in free agency. He landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but struggled with injuries and inconsistent play before being cut loose this offseason.
Analyst Nick Brinkerhoff of CBS Sports noted that Davis can still be a strong contributor to an NFL team, naming the Bills as one of the most likely landing spots.
“Davis was one-and-done in Jacksonville, failing to take the next step following his departure from Buffalo,” Brinkerhoff wrote. “With just 20 catches, 239 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, Davis is long way away from the four touchdown game in the 2022 playoffs. Perhaps that player is still in there and someone is bound to find out what the 26-year-old can do. He is a complementary piece at this point, but perhaps a change of scenery is what the doctor ordered.”
Davis had been a favorite target of quarterback Josh Allen during his four seasons with the Bills, making 163 receptions for 2,730 yards with 27 touchdowns in 64 games. He was one of the team’s most consistent deep threats and had a knack for showing up in big moments, setting an NFL record with four touchdowns in the team’s divisional-round playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
Bills Could Have New No. 1 Receiver
Though the Bills lacked a bona fide No. 1 receiver in 2024, they could soon find one in last year’s top receiver, Khalil Shakir. The 2022 draft pick earned a three-year extension worth $60 million this offseason, getting some big praise from Bills general manager Brandon Beane in the process.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone — fans, players, anyone — in our building to say anything negative about Khalil and what he’s brought,” Beane said at the NFL scouting combine, just after Shakir signed his extension. “The guy is a true lunch-pail Buffalonian. I mean, I know he’s not from Buffalo, but he doesn’t say anything, he just shows up every single day.
“He’s Mr. Dependable, and when the ball’s thrown his way, he usually comes down with it. I’m sure everyone on our team that’s coming back will be excited to have Khalil knowing … and we’re going to count on him even more, not only on the field but his leadership going forward.”
Shakir has been steadily growing his role in the Bills’ offense, culminating with a career-best 76 receptions for 821 yards with four touchdowns last season. Shakir was one of the league’s most dependable receivers, catching 76% of his targets from Allen. He has just three career drops on 165 total targets.
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