Jaguars should feel great about Gabe Davis' top-notch spot in WR ranking

The Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to upgrade their wide receiver corps in the offseason, so they went after Gabe Davis in free agency. The move got a bit of a sideways look across the league because he wasn't particularly consistent during his stint with the Buffalo Bills. However, the Jags believe they're getting a playmaker, and FanDuel seems to agree.

FanDuel recently ranked every team's WR3 ahead of the regular season, and Davis was second, just behind former Tyler Boyd.

Surprisingly, Davis was one spot ahead of rival AFC South receiver Tank Dell, who took the league by storm in 2023 but had his rookie season cut short by a broken fibula. If he's back at full strength, the former Houston Cougar should pick up where he left last year.

Other notable receivers who made the top 10 are Odell Beckham Jr., who's still around, and Rome Odunze, one of the top prospects to come out of the 2024 draft. Jaxon Smith-Njibga and Rome Doubbs, who've become steady contributors for the Green Bay Packers, and the Seattle Seahawks, respectively, also got the nod. Xavier Worthy, who's been stealing the spotlight for the Kansas City Chiefs at training camp, just missed the cut at No. 11.

Boyd, the top receiver in FanDuel's ranking mostly lines up in the slot. He joined the Titans in the offseason. A second-round pick in 2016, the former Pitt Panther spent the first eight years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. In Tennessee, he'll join a receiver corps that includes former Jaguar Calvin Ridley and former first-round pick Treylon Burks.

For his career, Boyd has appeared in 120 games with 77 starts, hauling in 513 receptions for 6,000 yards with 31 touchdowns.

Gabe Davis is set to have a big role for the Jaguars in 2024

Gabe Davis, a fifth-round pick in 2020, spent the last four years in Buffalo. While he's never caught 50 passes in a season or crossed the 800-yard mark, at any point of his career, he's averaged 16.7 yards per reception.

It's fair to say that Davis' ability to stretch the field will come in handy on the Jacksonville offense. On the other hand, his biggest criticism is that he hasn't been nearly as consistent throughout his career. The former UCF Knigth was one of the top options in the Buffalo passing game in 2023 but he was targeted just four times or nine games.

Having said that, the Jaguars gave Davis a three-year deal worth $39 million because of what he can do on their offense than his past production. If it feels like deja vu, it is because they went through something similar in 2022.

That year, general manager Trent Baalke raised eyebrows for giving Christian Kirk and Zay Jones top-market contracts despite the fact that neither had been particularly impressive with their respective teams up until that point. Both of them went on to have career years, and it's fair to assume that Davis will experience a similar surge in Duval.

It's possible that Gabe Davis got the WR3 label in FanDuel's ranking because he'll be the third option in the Jaguars' passing game next season. Wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram will probably be the top targets. Rookie Brian Thomas will also be a big part of the passing game but will probably get a light workload early in the season and see an uptick as 2024 progresses.

Davis, for his part, has wasted no time building a rapport with Trevor Lawrence. While he was recovering from injury early in the offseason, he's seen his workload increase in recent weeks. Here's a clip of the star quarterback connecting with the Fernandina Beach native, via 1010 XL.

Offensive coordinator Press Taylor is certainly pleased with Davis' performance so far, pointing out they'll ask the fourth-year wideout to have a big role on offense next season.

"You can see him do a lot of different things. He's been involved in the run game in terms of blocking first level, second level. Taylor told the media on Day 7 of training camp. "You've seen him over the middle a couple couple times in the last couple days."

"That's where you like to see that big body presence rolling through the middle of the field there, whether it was a third down or just a backside reset concept. He's going to have a role as an outside receiver in contested catch situations, down-the-field situations, as those things start to permit themselves."

Here's Taylor's full exchange with the local beat on Day 7 of training camp.

Ultimately, you could make the case that Gabe Davis landed in the best possible situation when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, as he's now in a position to have a banner season in 2024. FanDuel certainly recognized his potential by awarding him a high spot in their ranking.

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