July 22, 2025. To most people, it’s just a Tuesday.
But to the Arizona Cardinals, it’s D-Day. It’s a ticking clock, an hourglass with its grains of sand sliding through at a quickening pace. It’s a deadline, because that’s the start of Training Camp. Although the date has yet to be confirmed by the organization, Head Coach Jonathan Gannon hinted that the team will come together then, and the real work will begin ahead of the 2025 NFL Season.
And the Cardinals have all their birds in a row. Walter Nolen III says the rookies are already a “close-knit” brotherhood. The offense is “gelling.” Everyone seems to be on the same page. It appears that this team can build on the progress it made last year.
But is there one missing piece to the Cardinals' success? One analyst thinks so, and time’s running out to secure it.
Cardinals need to sign wide receiver Gabe Davis: analyst
The Arizona Cardinals have focused heavily on their defense during the NFL Draft, so much that it seemed, for a moment, they’d forgotten that they also have offense issues.
One such problem is the depth in the wide receiver room. That’s what Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox recently wrote when identifying what the Cardinals should focus on in training.
Knox writes:
“It would behoove Arizona to add to its receiver room as well. [Marvin Harrison Jr.] commanded a lot of defensive attention as a rookie because the Cardinals didn't have a lot else at the position. Tight end Trey McBride is a star, but Michael Wilson ranked second among wideouts with just 548 receiving yards.”
Knox said that the Cardinals should “eye the trade market or consider free agents like Amari Cooper and Gabe Davis, they should find a way to add competition before camp.”
Is Gabe Davis In The ‘Cards’ For Arizona?
Davis joined the NFL in 2020 when the Buffalo Bills selected him as the overall 128th pick in the NFL Draft.
His tenure in Buffalo was fine. Stefon Diggs joined the same year as Gave, and thus, Davis was always slotted into a secondary role. The most he was ever targeted was in 2002, when he caught 48 of 93 passes for a total of 836 yards and seven touchdowns. The player dubbed “Big-Game Gabe” for his ability to come through in clutch moments never cracked 1,000 yards in a season.
Which is fine if you are a wide receiver who wants to be the equivalent of an MLB closer. If you want to be WR1 (or get a few more yards), sign a four-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, like Davis did. However, the team released him in May 2025, six months after his season ended with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Do the Cardinals take a chance on Davis?
Right now, the Cards’ starting receivers are (likely) Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Greg Dorch. The team added Simi Fehoko and Zay Jones during the offseason, and recruited undrafted rookie Bryson Green from Wisconsin.
The Cardinals’ other options at the position are—what? The untested Xavier Weaver and Tejhuan Palmer (reserves/futures) and the veteran Quez Watkins (futures/reserves)?
Davis had some consistency issues while with Buffalo, but the Bills themselves have consistency issues. Jacksonville was supposed to be Davis’s breakout team, but his knee injuries put a kibosh on that.
“Davis' season in Jacksonville was such a bust that the Jags cut him after one season despite guaranteed money due in 2025," wrote NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. "The incredible downfield numbers he put up in Buffalo and Davis' age suggest he's still worth taking a chance on as a discounted role player."
If the Cardinals have faith in his recovery (like how they do with Will Johnson), it might be worth the team signing him to a one-year deal. He’s 26—not a rookie, not a veteran—so there’s gas left in his tank. If the wheels are sturdy, maybe Arizona takes him for a drive?
They better hurry up, though. Training camp will be here sooner than later.