Former NFL center Mitch Morse has known wide receiver Gabe Davis for several years, dating back to their days with the Buffalo Bills. That's why it wasn't surprising to see him support his teammate when the Jacksonville Jaguars released him. What stood out was his puzzling defense of what was arguably the Jags' biggest free-agent bust in 2024.
Following the news that Jacksonville cut ties with Davis, Morse took to social media to say that his former teammate was a prominent locker room presence and showed out in 2024 despite the fact that he played through injuries.
"Absolute tone setter in the locker room and on the field," Morse said on Twitter. "PERFECT culture guy. Played hurt all last year, didn't complain about it once... having a tough time wrapping my head around this one."
So let's break down Morse's response to Davis being released. Maybe he was a positive influence. That's hard to quantify from an outside perspective, and it's possible that he did take on a leadership role during his lone season in Duval. That said, it didn't show up on the scoreboard or the standings. And more often than not, the Jaguars frequently had a hard time winning games.
Davis, in particular, struggled with drops and fumbles. Heck, he failed to reel in a couple of passes that would've been good for touchdowns. But leaving aside how much or little the former UCF Knight was, playing hurt didn't pay off. In fact, it actively hurt his team.
Sure, players must toughen up and play through injuries, but not at the expense of their team. If it's true that Davis wasn't healthy enough to perform at a high level before he suffered a season-ending knee injury, he should've told the coaches and the training staff that he wasn't good to go. Instead, he went on to post a career-low 20 catches for 239 yards with two touchdowns. On top of that, his catch percentage rate of 47.9 was the worst of his career.
Simply put, the Jags didn't get enough bang for their buck after giving Davis a three-year deal worth $39 million in 2024. Not surprisingly, the new regime didn't think he was going to be part of the solution.
Mitch Morse deserves praise for having Gabe Davis' back, but the Jaguars had a reason to cut him
All things considered, Mitch Morse should be commended for coming to Gabe Davis' defense. It shows that some of his teammates valued him and had him in high regard. It's hard to tell if that was a widespread sentiment in the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room, but the fact that Morse did it publicly most definitely carries weight.
In fact, Davis might legitimately be a pretty good teammate and well-liked. That said, the Jags didn't kick him to the curb because he wasn't a good locker room influence or not being tough enough. He didn't produce and didn't fit the team's long-term vision. This is why Morse's message was a bit odd, as if he was making it seem like he didn't deserve to be cut.
The good news is that Gabe Davis is a free agent as of this writing, so he'll have a chance to prove that the Jags made a mistake when they moved on from him.