The New York Giants have all but finished the player acquisition portion of the offseason, leaving fans counting the days until training camp.
Even so, a handful of minor acquisitions are inevitable. Undrafted free agents are still trickling in, and there’s plenty of roster shuffling with the 90-man group the Giants will monitor throughout the summer. As the calendar grows closer to NFL action, a handful of veteran free agents who have slipped through the cracks can find new homes, too.
One target that makes plenty of sense for New York is receiver Gabe Davis. Recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Davis could help improve a weak crop of depth receivers on the boundary.
Before Wednesday’s schedule release, Davis took a visit with Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who provided an update on the receiver during an appearance for “Up & Adams.”
“It was reported that Gabe came in yesterday, and obviously I have history with him, having been in Buffalo when we drafted him,” Schoen told Kay Adams. “And Dabes was there, and Chad Hall was his receivers coach in Buffalo and in Jacksonville, and we brought him up. He’s our assistant quarterbacks coach now. So he’s coming off an injury, he was cut by Jacksonville, he came up for a visit. He hadn’t been in New York to see our facility, our staff. Just a little “get to know” meeting yesterday, went out for dinner, and then we’ll see if anything transpires here down the road.”
Familiarity is the driving force behind Davis being connected to New York. In the two years before Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll left the Bills for the Giants, Davis posted 70 catches for 1,148 yards and 13 touchdowns. His role was well-defined – taking the top off the defense as a vertical threat.
He’s not the best route runner, won’t give New York a ton after the catch, and doesn’t have the most consistent hands. Yet, his proclivity for making splash plays has kept him afloat.
It goes without saying that he must be healthy to make an impact with the Giants, but he is a reasonable upgrade over Jalin Hyatt, who has struggled in a similar role through two seasons.
On paper, Davis landing with his former coach in East Rutherford makes sense. Perhaps the roster need and that aforementioned familiarity is enough to get a deal done.
For now, the New York faithful will have to wait. Schoen joked that a signing wasn’t necessarily imminent.
“Yeah, there will be no announcements today.”