Bills Central

One Buffalo Bills player lands on All-Pro team of established NFL outlet

The Bills' kick returner finished atop the league this season.
Jan 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) tackles Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium.
Jan 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) tackles Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Ray Davis enjoyed a transcendent season as the Buffalo Bills’ kick returner during the 2025 campaign. 

And one established NFL outlet rewarded him with a spot on its All-Pro team.

Davis finished the season as the league’s top return man, leading to Next Gen Stats honoring his production from one of the most undervalued positions in football.

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Ray Davis
Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis (22) carries the ball defended by New York Jets safety Keidron Smith (46) and linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) during the second half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The numbers

Davis’ 30.4 yards per kick return topped the NFL ranks, while his 97-yard kick-return touchdown was the fifth-longest in the league this season. And it was a strong second half of the season in which Davis’ rapid rise took place. 

“(Davis recorded) the third-best yards over expected (+8.8) in a single season since 2018 (minimum 20 kickoff returns),” wrote The Next Gen Stats Analytics Team. “The second-year running back also brought one back to the house in 2025 -- a 97-yarder against the Texans in Week 12.”

Brandon Codrington began the season as the team’s kick returner beside Davis, but after dispatching Codrington to the practice squad and featuring Davis more prominently, it served as a boon for the Bills. Buffalo’s average drive start of the 29.7-yard line was tied for fifth best in the NFL, primarily due to Davis’ ability to set his team up with favorable starting field position regularly since taking the reins as the team’s primary returner.

MORE: Bills' former starter nearing return from IR ahead of Wild Card game vs. Jaguars

James Cook
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The snub

There were a few Bills players who may have been snubbed from selection by the Next Gen Stats crew, including James Cook, the league’s rushing leader. Cook finished the year outlasting Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry, along with NGS’ All-Pro selection, Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson, for the rushing crown.

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Alex Brasky
ALEX BRASKY

Alex Brasky is editor of Bills Digest and host of the Buffalo Pregame podcast. He has been on the Bills beat the past six seasons and now joins Sports Illustrated hoping to expand his coverage of Buffalo’s favorite football team.

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