PITTSFORD, N.Y. [WKBW] — Gabe Davis is used to big expectations and this year, he plans on smashing them. Heading into the 2022 season, the Buffalo Bills wideout was one of the most popular candidates to break out after his massive four-touchdown game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.
2022 started the way 2021 came to an end. In the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, Davis caught four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown. He looked like a player destined for stardom. Then he hurt his ankle before Week 2, an injury that lingered with him for the entire season.
WATCH: Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis speaks on day two of training camp
“I just feel like I lost a step,” Davis said. “It definitely was something I was struggling with mentally, having that pain on my ankle. I was trying to figure out ways to get my head out of it and play my game but in all honesty, it did feel like I lost a step.”
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Despite the injury, Davis posted solid numbers. He finished 2022 with 48 catches, 836 yards, and seven touchdowns. All three were career-best marks for the 24-year-old wide receiver. But Davis knows he can be even better and so do his teammates.
“I feel like Gabe Davis will have a breakout year,” Stefon Diggs said. “I think this year he’s going to have an amazing year. He’s a damn-near wide receiver one in my eyes. I feel like If I wasn’t here, Gabe Davis would be a wide receiver one and that’s something I can hang my hat on.”
I think we’re about to see a really strong season from Gabe Davis. https://t.co/WRDOBAfEL4
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) July 28, 2023
Davis admits the praise is nice, but now he believes it’s time to keep building on his first three-seasons in the NFL. Davis is entering the final season of his rookie contract, but the added pressure doesn’t seem to bother him, especially when he remembers the advice from his mom.
“I’m living my dream. I put that Bills logo on my head every single day,” Davis said. “The things I’ve done in the last three years are special, and [I won’t] let the money take my happiness take away why I love this game and why I started playing it in the first place. It was never to be making millions of dollars, it was because I loved it and that’s my mindset each and every day.”
