Gabe Davis gets dreaded label for not making an impact with the Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars spared no expense to bolster their roster in the offseason after failing to make the playoffs in 2023. Among the many moves they made was signing wide receiver Gabe Davis in free agency. Expected to give Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons a boost, the former UCF Knight has yet to make an impact in Duval, which is why he landed on a not-so-flattering list.

David Kenyon of Bleacher Report put together a list of 2024 free agents who already look like busts and included Davis, pointing out that he's tallied a measly eight passes despite the fact that he's logged a team-high 88 percent of the total snaps on offense.

"Similar to Swift in Chicago, the issues with Gabe Davis run deeper in a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars' offense. Again, it's only fair to immediately point that out.

Nevertheless, he inked a three-year, $39 million contract that seemed risky at the moment and certainly hasn't changed.

Davis has logged a position-high 88 percent of snaps yet has only reeled in eight passes for 123 yards on 16 targets.

That is role-player production at a very expensive rate.

Trevor Lawrence's early struggles have undoubtedly been a contributing factor, but Davis—and Christian Kirk, for that matter—is being paid like a major pass-catching weapon. That needs to start showing up."

For the sake of transparency, Davis has hauled in nine, not eight, passes, for 121 yards in 2024. With that out of the way, his production wouldn't be an issue if he were a young player finding his way in the NFL, but that's not the case. A fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, the Fernandina Beach, Florida native spent his first four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Even though Davis only crossed the 800-yard mark in a season just once in his career, his average of 16.7 yards per catch made him an appealing target in free agency. When you take into account that the likes of Zay Jones and Christian Kirk flourished only after joining the Jaguars, it was easy to believe that the former Buffalo was going to break out in 2024. However, that hasn't been the case.

Leaving aside the fact that he's only logged nine receptions, Davis hasn't made the most of his opportunities. He's been targeted 21 times but only hauled in nine receptions. Moreover, he's been marred by drops and even cost the Jags a touchdown in the 24-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 5.

Up 20-17, the Jags got to the Houston end zone late in the third quarter and would've scored a touchdown if Davis had caught a pass. Instead, he let it bounce off his helmet.

This is to say that four games into the 2024 season, the Jaguars' investment in Davis doesn't look so great.

Gabe Davis has time to make an impact for the Jaguars

Looking back, there were a few signs Gabe Davis wouldn't make as big an impact as the Jaguars thought he would have when they gave him a three-year deal worth $39 million. Expected to be an upgrade over Zay Jones, he wasn't targeted often during his last season in Buffalo, and when he was, he only reeled half of them. Moreover, he's only posted a catch rate higher than 50 percent once in his career.

Currently, Jones is serving a five-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy, so you could make the case that the Jags are doing just fine without him.

But whereas Davis has struggled to hit his stride in Jacksonville, rookie Brian Thomas Jr. has quickly become a mainstay of the Jaguars' offense, hauling in 17 receptions for 275 yards with two touchdowns.

But as underwhelming as Davis has been, there's still hope. He's averaging 13.1 yards per reception and that average can go up if he becomes more consistent. That becomes a realistic expectation when you take into account that he's probably still getting used to playing in Jacksonville. This makes it reasonable to believe that the more time he spends catching passes from Trevor Lawrence, the more comfortable he'll become.

The bottom line is that Gabe Davis has left a bit to be desired since joining the Jaguars in free agency, but he's still got time to turn things around.

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