HappyDays

Shakir's problem is he doesn't appear to do anything particularly well. He could be a replacement level slot WR for some teams, but how does a player like that make noise when a highly skilled player like Kincaid is playing the same position at a much higher level? He's kind of in no man's land on this roster.

Joe Marino was very complimentary about Davis's play at camp today. Said he caught some shorter routes and was winning all his 1v1s. Joe has been as critical towards Davis as anyone so at the very least it's a good sign.

Joe Marino is attending training camp this week.

Notes from Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot:

If this is the kind of target share we use throughout the season, with timely deep shots to Davis, I will be satisfied.

This is unfortunately becoming a theme. Davis can't hold onto the ball if he's contested at all.

Makes sense. Tre's play style works better in pads.

I mean they've never done that before. 1st team caliber players get time with the 1st team. They don't give players a whole day at the top of the depth chart just to "see what they bring to the table." I suspect Spector will get a full day of 1st team reps again on Tuesday in line with the rotation they've followed. Unless he totally craps the bed his roster spot is a lock. Klein is an afterthought.

Klein has reportedly been running with the 3rd team. He has probably been guaranteed a PS spot as a "break glass in case of emergency" player. No chance he makes the final roster IMO. It's going to be Spector and the other 5 players you mentioned. You don't give a player a full day of 1st team reps and then cut him.

I don't want to read too much into one training camp report, but Joe Buscaglia's report today said Davis caught 50% of his targets; on one he let Dane Jackson break up a pass that hit his hands, on another he caught an accurate ball but failed to keep his second foot in bounds. And that is basically a microcosm of the player he was last year.

I'm not sleeping on him but I think very best case scenario for Davis this year is that he gets back to the player he was as a rookie - a mostly deep threat who takes advantage of gaps in the defense caused by other pass catchers getting more attention. Still a low efficiency receiver but with enough big plays in a complementary offensive role that you can forgive the efficiency. If anyone expects his catch percentage to suddenly leap into the mid-60s and for Davis to suddenly become an above average separator, that is not realistic IMO. There aren't any excuses for his performance last year. He has been the same player every year, just with variations in how much target share he has received. Every day that Kincaid shines in camp it becomes more realistic that Davis will have his target share substantially reduced. Rookies making a big impact in a championship caliber offense is rare, but if Kincaid can be the exception I will not be concerned about Davis's role any more. However Kincaid would need to approach Beasley's 2020 season (76.6% catch percentage, 82 receptions, 967 yards) for him to be a truly ideal #2 target, and there's a long way to go for him to prove himself that capable. I am about as optimstic as I could be in July though.

Every time I see throws like this I'm reminded that Allen did not know how to throw with touch as a rookie. It's a necessary skill that he picked up very quickly.