Bills make a flurry of roster moves, including a UFL record-breaker and a familiar face that has the fanbase buzzing
Could the Bills be looking at a reunion with Gabe Davis?
The Buffalo Bills announced a flurry of roster moves, signing running back Jarveon Howard, wide receiver Grant DuBose, while bringing in veteran receiver Gabe Davis for a workout. In a corresponding move, the team placed running back Darryonton Evans on injured reserve and waived cornerback Te’Cory Couch and receiver Kaden Prather.
Sean McDermott wasn’t too pleased with the Bills’ preseason blowout loss to the Chicago Bears, and rightfully so. While Chicago rolled out its starters on offense and defense, Buffalo tested its second and third-string players on both sides of the ball, and it was ugly. As roster cutdown day rapidly approaches, these new players don’t have much time to make their mark on the roster.
Jarveon Howard was a record-breaking UFL running back
Jarveon Howard went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Green Bay Packers. He spent training camp and most of the preseason with the team, and his balanced and powerful running style is impressive. However, an injury affected his stint, and the Packers had to waive/injure him in late August before reaching an injury settlement.
While splitting his collegiate career at Syracuse and Alcorn State, the 5-10, 215-pound running back didn’t have many opportunities to play at Syracuse, which led him to transfer. In two years at Alcorn State, he combined for 2,253 scrimmage yards and 20 total touchdowns.
While he only played in one preseason game last year against the Cleveland Browns, totaling 44 yards on eight carries (an average of 5.5 per carry) with 2.13 yards after contact, he was eventually cut by the Packers and forced to sign with the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks.
Howard finished the 2025 UFL season tied for eighth in rushing yards (310, 4.55 per attempt), three rushing touchdowns, while adding 42 receiving yards. Oh! And the longest run in UFL regular season history.
Howard has his work cut out for him with an already crowded running back room that includes James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and Frank Gore Jr. ahead of him in the pecking order.
Grant DuBose faces an uphill battle
So many receivers, so little time. Loading up Josh Allen with weapons on offense is always fun, but does DuBose have what it takes to crack the 53-man roster? The Green Bay Packers selected DuBose in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was never a part of the team’s plans due to competition at the bottom of the depth chart. He didn’t make the 53-man roster as a rookie, but spent the entire season on the practice squad.
That sounds a lot like Tyrell Shavers. It seems the Packers thought so, too. After a strong preseason in 2024, the Packers’ idea was to repeat that. However, DuBose was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins after final cuts.
Unfortunately, after gaining a bunch of momentum and finding himself on the field, a significant head injury ended his season with the Dolphins. DuBose had worked out for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. Ultimately, it was Buffalo who landed him.
With the likes of Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Kristian Wilkerson, KJ Hamler, Deon Cain, Stephen Gosnell, and Laviska Shenault Jr, DuBose will need to be a monster on special teams if he’s going to make this team.
Gabe Davis is back… for a workout
News broke that the Bills were bringing in Davis for a workout. He had spent the first four seasons of his NFL career after being a fourth-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. During his time with the Bills, Davis amassed 2,730 receiving yards on 163 receptions with 27 touchdowns in the regular season. Of course, everyone remembers what Davis did in the postseason against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The veteran joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in March of 2024 on a massive three-year, $39 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed. A torn meniscus in Week 11 derailed his season, ending with only 239 receiving yards on 20 receptions with two touchdowns. While Davis still had three years remaining on his contract, the Jaguars parted ways and released him on May 7.
It feels like the team is just gauging where Davis is with his health. If he were to join the roster today, he’d be looking at the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver. Rob Gregson, who covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for A To Z Sports, reported that the Steelers “didn’t sign him (Davis) the first time around because he wouldn’t have passed a physical,” and that the team was “reconvening when the season neared if he got healthy.”
Davis is a big-bodied deep threat and a willing blocker, the latter being important context with what the team does moving forward. While his last stint with the Bills was focused on him being the No. 2 option for Allen, dropping further down the depth chart might allow fans to come around on a potential reunion. That, and McDermott has expressed that players lower on the roster need to be multi-dimensional. Or, this is just to gauge his health status and potentially make a move after the preseason concludes.
With the regular season rapidly approaching, it’ll be fun to see what happens specifically with Davis. Is a reunion on its way? And if it is, does that mean someone like Shavers is the odd man out? Only time will tell, and we have a feeling we won’t have to wait long.
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