The Jaguars signed Gabe Davis last month, which I saw as an addition of a one-dimensional downfield threat. So I was a little surprised by a story implying Doug Pederson sees a more well-rounded player.
“Gabe is, to me, like a Swiss Army knife," Pederson told the Florida Times-Union. "I think he’s going to be another key piece to what we’re doing and we can put him in positions to block, we can put him in positions to run, he’s a good route runner."
The quote suggests a more versatile player, or diverse usage, than what was the case in Buffalo. In four seasons, Davis averaged nearly 17 yards per catch, and with a catch rate of under 55 percent. He was running lower-percentage downfield routes, which made him frustrating in fantasy leagues. He'd alternate good games (including long touchdowns) with weeks where he'd catch 1 or no passes.
I hear the term Swiss-army knife, and I'm thinking of a guy lining up all over the place and doing different things. If that's the plan for Davis, either Buffalo will be tapping into previously unused skills, or they've misjudged what they've signed.
No one doubts Davis' downfield potential. Last year, more than a quarter of his 45 receptions went for 20-plus yards. Among the league's 40-catch wideouts, only seven turned a higher percentage of those grabs into 20-yard plays. (Looking at the table, I'm regretting not noticing this before posting a Josh Reynolds item last week. Nearly half of his catches went for that large a gain, a remarkable statistic -- and further evidence that his signing isn't a great sign for Marvin Mims, since those would presumably be the kind of routes he'd be running, too.)
| WR GAINS OF 20-PLUS YARDS, 2023 (MINIMUM 40 RECEPTIONS) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | 20+ | Pct/20 |
| Josh Reynolds, Det. | 40 | 608 | 15.2 | 5 | 17 | 42.5% |
| Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 75 | 1342 | 17.9 | 7 | 28 | 37.3% |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 68 | 1074 | 15.8 | 5 | 25 | 36.8% |
| George Pickens, Pitt. | 63 | 1140 | 18.1 | 5 | 22 | 34.9% |
| Nico Collins, Hou. | 80 | 1297 | 16.2 | 8 | 25 | 31.3% |
| Amari Cooper, Cle. | 72 | 1250 | 17.4 | 5 | 21 | 29.2% |
| DK Metcalf, Sea. | 66 | 1114 | 16.9 | 8 | 19 | 28.8% |
| Gabe Davis, Buff. | 45 | 746 | 16.6 | 7 | 12 | 26.7% |
| Rashid Shaheed, N.O. | 46 | 719 | 15.6 | 5 | 12 | 26.1% |
| DJ Moore, Chi. | 96 | 1364 | 14.2 | 8 | 25 | 26.0% |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 79 | 1255 | 15.9 | 13 | 20 | 25.3% |
| Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 60 | 892 | 14.9 | 7 | 15 | 25.0% |
| Drake London, Atl. | 69 | 905 | 13.1 | 2 | 17 | 24.6% |
| Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 119 | 1799 | 15.1 | 13 | 29 | 24.4% |
| Puka Nacua, LAR | 105 | 1486 | 14.2 | 6 | 25 | 23.8% |
| Courtland Sutton, Den. | 59 | 772 | 13.1 | 10 | 14 | 23.7% |
| Christian Kirk, Jac. | 57 | 787 | 13.8 | 3 | 13 | 22.8% |
| Calvin Ridley, Jac. | 76 | 1016 | 13.4 | 8 | 17 | 22.4% |
| Darius Slayton, NYG | 50 | 770 | 15.4 | 4 | 11 | 22.0% |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 135 | 1749 | 13.0 | 12 | 29 | 21.5% |
| Jordan Addison, Min. | 70 | 911 | 13.0 | 10 | 15 | 21.4% |
| Tank Dell, Hou. | 47 | 709 | 15.1 | 7 | 10 | 21.3% |
| Brandin Cooks, Dall. | 54 | 657 | 12.2 | 8 | 11 | 20.4% |
| Jayden Reed, G.B. | 64 | 793 | 12.4 | 8 | 13 | 20.3% |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 119 | 1515 | 12.7 | 10 | 24 | 20.2% |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Ten. | 75 | 1057 | 14.1 | 7 | 15 | 20.0% |
| A.J. Brown, Phil. | 106 | 1456 | 13.7 | 7 | 21 | 19.8% |
| Diontae Johnson, Pitt. | 51 | 717 | 14.1 | 5 | 10 | 19.6% |
| Tee Higgins, Cin. | 42 | 656 | 15.6 | 5 | 8 | 19.0% |
| Terry McLaurin, Was. | 79 | 1002 | 12.7 | 4 | 15 | 19.0% |
| Jerry Jeudy, Den. | 54 | 758 | 14.0 | 2 | 10 | 18.5% |
| Chris Olave, N.O. | 87 | 1123 | 12.9 | 5 | 16 | 18.4% |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | 108 | 1243 | 11.5 | 7 | 19 | 17.6% |
| DeVonta Smith, Phil. | 81 | 1066 | 13.2 | 7 | 14 | 17.3% |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 59 | 737 | 12.5 | 5 | 10 | 16.9% |
| Chris Godwin, T.B. | 83 | 1024 | 12.3 | 2 | 14 | 16.9% |
| Jaylen Waddle, Mia. | 72 | 1014 | 14.1 | 4 | 12 | 16.7% |
| Marquise Brown, Ari. | 51 | 574 | 11.3 | 4 | 8 | 15.7% |
| Zay Flowers, Balt. | 77 | 858 | 11.1 | 5 | 12 | 15.6% |
| Elijah Moore, Cle. | 59 | 640 | 10.9 | 2 | 9 | 15.3% |
| Josh Downs, Ind. | 68 | 771 | 11.3 | 2 | 10 | 14.7% |
| K.J. Osborn, Min. | 48 | 540 | 11.3 | 3 | 7 | 14.6% |
| JaMarr Chase, Cin. | 100 | 1216 | 12.2 | 7 | 14 | 14.0% |
| Jonathan Mingo, Car. | 43 | 418 | 9.7 | 0 | 6 | 14.0% |
| Rashee Rice, K.C. | 79 | 938 | 11.9 | 7 | 10 | 12.7% |
| Davante Adams, L.V. | 103 | 1144 | 11.1 | 8 | 13 | 12.6% |
| Demario Douglas, N.E. | 49 | 561 | 11.5 | 0 | 6 | 12.2% |
| Romeo Doubs, G.B. | 59 | 674 | 11.4 | 8 | 7 | 11.9% |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG | 60 | 525 | 8.8 | 1 | 7 | 11.7% |
| Garrett Wilson, NYJ | 95 | 1042 | 11.0 | 3 | 11 | 11.6% |
| Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 79 | 894 | 11.3 | 5 | 9 | 11.4% |
| Curtis Samuel, Was. | 62 | 613 | 9.9 | 4 | 7 | 11.3% |
| Jakobi Meyers, L.V. | 71 | 807 | 11.4 | 8 | 8 | 11.3% |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 63 | 628 | 10.0 | 4 | 7 | 11.1% |
| Jahan Dotson, Was. | 49 | 518 | 10.6 | 4 | 5 | 10.2% |
| Rondale Moore, Ari. | 40 | 352 | 8.8 | 1 | 4 | 10.0% |
| Stefon Diggs, Buff. | 107 | 1183 | 11.1 | 8 | 10 | 9.3% |
| Michael Pittman, Ind. | 109 | 1152 | 10.6 | 4 | 10 | 9.2% |
| Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 67 | 667 | 10.0 | 2 | 6 | 9.0% |
| Adam Thielen, Car. | 103 | 1014 | 9.8 | 4 | 9 | 8.7% |
| Robert Woods, Hou. | 40 | 426 | 10.7 | 1 | 2 | 5.0% |
Both Ridley and Jacksonville's other main wideout last year, Christian Kirk, also show up favorably on this table; the team has some success hitting on those throws. Davis looks like a nice fit in that regard.
But I think that will be his role, running downfield routes and hitting some big plays, similar to as in Buffalo. The shorter routes should primarily be Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram. I look at Davis and see more of a one-trick pony than a Swiss army knife. We'll see, but I don't expect he'll be significantly more useful in fantasy leagues than he has been to this point.
--Andy Richardson