Jacksonville Jaguars updated WR depth chart after releasing Gabe Davis

May 7, 2025 - 20:00

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Jacksonville Jaguars updated WR depth chart after releasing Gabe Davis

After releasing Gabe Davis, what does the Jacksonville Jaguars' wide receiver depth chart now look like?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but this is a move we should have seen coming. Prior to the NFL draft, Liam Coen described the importance of spreading the ball around and mentioned several players from a few different position groups who would be featured in the passing game beyond Brian Thomas Jr. However, Davis' name was never mentioned.

Davis signed a three-year, $39 million deal last offseason, which included $24 million guaranteed. He appeared in only 10 games last season due to an injury and caught just 48% of his 42 targets for 239 yards with two scores. He will leave behind a hefty dead cap hit.

The emphasis in the NFL draft for the Jaguars was building around Trevor Lawrence. This included adding two more offensive linemen to the mix, drafting two running backs, and of course, making the aggressive Day 1 trade for Travis Hunter.

The combination of Thomas and Hunter will form quite the one-two punch. Not only are Thomas and Hunter two dynamic players with the ball in their hands, but their ability to be moved around the formation and attack each level of the field and do so in a variety of ways can put a lot on the plate of an opposing defense.

As mentioned, while these two will be what makes the Jaguars' passing game go, spreading the ball around is an important element of Coen's offensive scheme. When the ball can go to any number of pass-catching options, it forces the defense to spread out, defend the entire field, which can create some one-on-one matchups that can be exploited.

"We're going to spread the ball out, hopefully equally," said Coen before the NFL draft. "That was the nice thing about being last year with Tampa, and we had to play a lot of different players in different personnel groupings.

"(If) We can get more people involved in the game, especially early on, so defenses can't just cloud BT and be all over him, that we do have other guys that can go win and be explosive with the ball in their hands, and ultimately share that wealth and share that playmaking ability."

The ceiling for the Jaguars' offense will be determined by Lawrence's level of play. However, as Coen put it, there needs to be "balance"around him as well. That way, Lawrence doesn't have to shoulder the playmaking burden on every play.

I would say this offseason, the Jaguars added a lot more balance on that side of the ball and got a lot more playmaking ability as well.

"We've definitely addressed the ability to strike from a distance," Coen said. "You're looking to be as explosive as you can in both the run and the pass. I think that was definitely addressed in both pro free agency and the college draft landscape."