The Gabe Davis saga came to an abrupt end just days before the start of the NFL season. The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of multiple teams that expressed an interest in signing the veteran wide receiver. Instead, Davis leaves the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency to rejoin his old team: the Buffalo Bills.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter broke the news on Tuesday that Davis is inking a deal with the Bills. However, the vet isn't being handed a job on the 53-man roster. Instead, he joins Buffalo's practice squad as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus he suffered last season.
This tells you everything you need to know about how teams view Gabe Davis' health.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dodged a bullet by avoiding free agent WR Gabe Davis
Davis attempted to play through injuries last season in Jacksonville, but his performance hit rock bottom. Despite playing 10 games (9 starts), the veteran reeled in just 20 of 42 targets for 239 yards and two touchdowns. This was accompanied by a dismal 5.7 yards per target and a 61.5 passer rating from Jaguars quarterbacks when the ball was thrown his way.
It was telling that Jacksonville cut him loose one year after signing a three-year, $39 million contract in free agency. Now it's clear that the Steelers—like every other NFL team interested—knew his medicals weren't where they needed to be.
Davis isn't old (26), but coming back from a meniscus tear is challenging. The last two notable NFL receivers to attempt this feat were former Panthers first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin and busted Giants draft pick Kadarius Toney. Both receivers' careers fizzled out quickly after their return from injury.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was no sense of signing Davis to the practice squad when he's clearly not up to full speed (and there's no guarantee that he will be at any point during the 2025 season).
Davis also doesn't play special teams (just five special teams snaps over the past three seasons), so he couldn't even be called up to the active roster to help in this department.
The Steelers made the right decision by passing on multiple opportunities to sign Gabe Davis to a contract during the 2025 offseason. Now it's time to move forward with the wide receiver room in place and focus on their Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets.