The Cleveland Browns have a lot of questions at the quarterback position. Deshaun Watson will miss the 2025 season after re-tearing his Achilles tendon. Kenny Pickett is a first-round bust looking to revive his career. Joe Flacco is 40 years old, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are unknowns heading into their first training camp.
With this in mind, the Browns will be looking for ways to make life easier on their signal callers. A great way would be to add to their receiving group that already has a top target in Jerry Jeudy, but plenty of questions behind them. While most of the options on the free agent market have dried up, a surprise release has given them a new option and could boost Cleveland’s pass-catching group ahead of next season.
Browns Should Target Gabe Davis After Jaguars Release
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they have released wide receiver Gabe Davis on Wednesday morning. Davis signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Jaguars last offseason, but his lone season didn’t go well, catching 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
While part of his failures could have been chalked up to an injured Trevor Lawrence, the arrivals of new head coach Liam Cohen and two-way weapon Travis Hunter didn’t bode well for Davis’s chances at a second season in Jacksonville. But it could give him the opportunity for a rebound year in Cleveland.
Davis was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and broke out with 48 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2022 season. He followed it up with 45 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 to earn his big contract, but things didn’t click in Jacksonville before he suffered a meniscus tear in a November game against the Minnesota Vikings.
This creates a buy-low opportunity for the Browns. Davis’s calling card is getting downfield, and he averaged 16.7 yards per reception during his four years in Buffalo. Davis also had the highest average depth of target on the Jaguars at 14.3 yards last season, but it was a far cry from the 16.2 clip he put up with the Bills. Both of these numbers would have been an improvement on the Browns, however, as Cedric Tillman led Cleveland with a 12.3 aDOT last season.
At age 26, there could be some good football left in Davis, and Cleveland could be a good opportunity. Jeudy was considered a bust at this time a year ago, but broke out by catching 90 passes for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns to become the Browns’ unquestioned No. 1 target this season. But the Browns don’t have much behind him with Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash currently listed as the starting outside receiver.
With $18.9 million in cap room, the Browns can afford to make a move, and Davis could be a good fit to make their quarterbacks' lives a little easier.