What Trevor Lawrence Likes About Jaguars' Big Free Agent Addition

What does Gabe Davis do that should help him and Trevor Lawrence get on the same page for the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly?

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis (0) walks on the field during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had to adjust to a new veteran target every year of his career.

First, it was Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Zay Jones in 2022. Then it was Calvin Ridley in 2023. Now, it is former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis, who is already hitting it off with Lawrence.

“Just from a personality standpoint, the guy is nuts," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said on Wednesday. "I don’t know if you all have spent much time around him, but he’s a funny guy. The guys, it’s funny how everybody responds to him. Everybody just opens up a little bit. He brings a lot of energy. From a personality standpoint, that’s awesome."

Lawrence's fondness for Davis goes beyond the type of energy he brings to the offense and locker room. The two have built a rapport on the field over the final few weeks of training camp, with Davis figuring to be a major factor in the passing game as early as Week 1.

"As a player, I think just he’s really smart. Understands space, he’s really good in zone, he’s really good at going and getting the ball whether it’s high-pointing it or being physical. Really physical receiver, great hands, tough, good in the run game. He can really do it all," Lawrence said.

"I think that in Buffalo, obviously, they had a really good receiving core and they had [WR] Stefon Diggs. There’s only one football, so I think it’s helped him because his game is he can do everything, because, he’s had to do everything. Wherever he could fit in there, he did it and was successful. Now, I think having a little bit more of a primary role here, it’s going to be great for him. He’s ready for it and he can make all the plays, run every route. He’s awesome.”

The biggest hurdle for Lawrence's connection to Davis goes beyond their timing on the field, with the most prevalent challenge being Davis becoming a first-year player in a system that Lawrence, Engram and Kirk have been in since 2022.

"Obviously, there’s going to be a learning curve with a new system. He’s probably run all these plays in his career, or very similar ones, but you’ve got to get used to what we call them and what our signals are and what our calls and checks are. That’s what’s different," Lawrence said.

"He knows all the stuff, though, because he’s done them all. As far as when the play is going and the decisions he makes on different routes, whether it’s a zone look or finding a void, he’s just very aware, very savvy. Knows football, knows space, quarterback friendly, all those things.

The Jaguars signed Davis to a three-year deal worth $39 million in March, but the deal's max value could be as much as $50 million.

Davis, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of UCF, caught 163 passes for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns in four years in Buffalo. In 2024, he caught 45 passes for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. Davis never caught fewer than six touchdowns in a sea

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