The Jacksonville Jaguars moved on from several players ahead of free agency. It wouldn't be shocking if they cut ties with a few more to make room for their incoming rookie class. Based on recent comments head coach Liam Coen made, wide receiver Gabe Davis could be one of them.
Coen, along with general manager James Gladstone, met with the local media ahead of the NFL draft and touched on a myriad of subjects. One of them was who would be the No. 2 option in the passing game. The Jags' head coach brought up several players but didn't mention Davis.
Ryan "Hacker" Green 1010 XL took notice of the omission and wonders whether the veteran wideout will be on the roster come September.
"When he was asked who the guys are behind, Brian Thomas, Jr, Denmar, you mentioned Parker Washington and Dyami Brown, right? Yep, isn't he missing somebody? Gabe Davis, right?" Green told cohost Dylan Denmark. "So as he was answering that, I'm thinking, huh, because I made the joke earlier this offseason that you sometimes forget Gabe Davis is on the roster. We just don't talk about him now. Maybe he's not doing a lot right now. He's still recovering from the injury."
Green continued, "Maybe when he gets 100 percent, obviously, it'd be much more in the frame of mind. But if you're talking who's behind Brian Thomas Jr, you talk about Dyami Brown Parker, Washington, odds are they're going to draft somebody reasonably high. I mean, are we convinced Gabe Davis is going to be here in September? I don't really know why you would cut him based on his contract. It doesn't really help you very much, and obviously, he would take a roster spot."
"But yeah, I mean, Gabe Davis was the key acquisition, or at least one of the key acquisitions for Tren Baalke 13 months ago. And now, like we don't even mention him in the same breath as Dyami Brown and Parker, Washington, am I reading too much into that?"
As Hacker pointed out, Davis was one of the key signings former general manager Trent Baalke made last year with the hope of bouncing back after a disappointing 2023 meltdown. Unfortunately, the former UCF Knight was unremarkable and saw his season come to an end when he suffered a knee injury.
The Jaguars could be targeting a receiver early in the draft. They're reportedly interested in Jack Bech and Emeka Egbuka. Add the fact that Parker Washington and Dyami Brown are also in the mix, and Davis could be the odd man out. Below is the clip with Hacker's remarks.
The Jaguars might be ready to cut ties with Gabe Davis
Maybe if Gabe Davis hadn't been unremarkable, his future wouldn't be questioned. Heck, the Jacksonville Jaguars might not have signed Dyami Brown either, but the deck is stacked against the veteran receiver. In fact, you could make the case that the only reason he's still around is his contract.
And that's the thing, the way Davis' contract is structured doesn't free up any space and instead accelerates a cap hit that leaves $20.3 million in dead money. Unless the Jaguars are willing to cut their losses and absorb the dead money, they may have no choice but to keep the Ferdinanda Beach, Florida native around.
An alternative would be to designate him as a post-June 1 release, so the team's brass can split the cap hit over 2025 and next year. This could turn out to be the best course of action, if they want to give his roster spot to somoene else.
Maybe things will chance in the upcoming weeks. But at this point, it's not a matter of but rather when the Jacksonville Jaguars will part ways with Gabe Davis.