Brightest Rising Star on Buffalo Bills is Gabriel Davis, and it's not Even Close
Let's try to put in perspective what Gabriel Davis has been able to do for the Buffalo Bills.
Despite an encouraging rookie season, he had to wait until December of this season, his second in the NFL, to become one of the team's top three options at wide receiver. That's when they were essentially forced to turn to him because of an injury sustained by Emmanuel Sanders.
Davis responded by catching 26 passes for 449 yards and eight touchdowns in his final six games, including the postseason. More impressively, he delivered career highs of eight receptions, 201 yards and four TDs when his team needed him most — in last Sunday's playoff loss at Kansas City.
His four TD catches were the most any player has had in one game in NFL playoff history.
Although Davis finished the regular season with fewer yards, touchdowns and yards per reception than he did as a rookie, the way he finished this season has him pointed for a major role for all of 2022 instead of just a fraction of it.
Davis, who led the team with an average of 15.7 yards per reception, is ready for that. He actually has been all along, catching the short ones, intermediate ones and long ones with equal efficiency.
The only mystery about him is why it took the Bills so long to start playing him more.
"I just can't do nothing but thank God for the opportunity that I had that I was able to execute," Davis said. "You know, whenever any of our numbers are called, we have to make the play. And my name was called a lot and I'm continuing to make the plays when they're coming to me.
"It was definitely a little challenge for me this year to not be able to play as much as I think I should have. But at the end of the day, it all worked out the way it should have."
Other than quarterback Josh Allen, no other player on the Bills, not even tight end Dawson Knox or running back Devin Singletary, made as much of an impact down the stretch as Davis.
"He's a guy that always does the right things," Allen raved. "It doesn't feel that he's only a second-ear guy in the league. It feels like he's been here so much longer than that. But for him to [catch four TDs against the Chiefs] was unbelievable.
"At the start of the season, he was begging for more opportunities. I just told him to stay the course, and that's exactly what he did. He didn't complain, he didn't pout, he didn't give up. He just put his head down and worked his ass off, and when you have guys that do the right things and continue to show up and do what's necessary for team success, i.e. blocking, going down and taking the edge off and going inside and getting a linebacker or safety and guys just do the right thing and they don't complain, that's simply what you're going to get."
Suffice to say Davis will be a fixture as long as he's available, no matter what adjustments the Bills may make to Allen's arsenal this coming offseason.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
