Camp Battles: Quintin Morris vs Zach Davidson

[TPS]

7 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Thank you.  As I stated in my OP, I like Morris a lot.  Lots of talk from camp media on Davidson (who I don't know much about).

My thread was started to get more info about him and the choice the coaches will be facing.

 

Not to muddy the thread, but there is a possibility that Knox may not be long for the roster.  Dawson most likely will have a BIG decision

to make next March as to his cap hit and future with the Bills. 

It’s a timely thread and good topic, as Davidson is/was an under the radar player. As I said, Brady mentioned him a couple days ago which made me look into his background, which is very intriguing. If he shows well in the preseason games, then they will have a much tougher decision to make. 
 

Btw, who is speculating about Knox? 

[ColoradoBills]

3 minutes ago, TPS said:

It’s a timely thread and good topic, as Davidson is/was an under the radar player. As I said, Brady mentioned him a couple days ago which made me look into his background, which is very intriguing. If he shows well in the preseason games, then they will have a much tougher decision to make. 
 

Btw, who is speculating about Knox? 

 

Thanks.  

 

The Knox stuff was more about some posters wondering what his status for next year may be.

I guess that could have an impact on the discussion.

[3rdand12]

23 hours ago, gonzo1105 said:

To me it’s not about Morris necessarily like I said he’s fine, but if Knox goes down(which he has recently) the Bills best blocker is Kincaid and I’m sure they don’t want to do limit what they do with him. 
 

I prefer a blocker so Kincaid can remain the pass catcher that he is or going to an offensive lineman

We dont want Kincaid doing more blocking. Even though its required 

Thats for Morris and Dawson please

[DeepPass]

On 8/1/2024 at 2:10 PM, BigAl2526 said:

I think Davidson may have a higher ceiling than Morris.  Most of that is due to his height, but he's also very athletic.  Morris, of course, has the edge in experience.

 

AND - he can punt!!

[GASabresIUFan]

Y'all do realize that Morris only played 185 (15.89%) of the offensive plays last year.  Morris' primary contribution was 312 special teams plays (72.56%).  

 

Whomever wins this camp battle is going to be primarily a special teams player.  Davidson is going to have to perform amazingly in pre-season games for Morris to lose his job.

Edited August 3 by GASabresIUFan

[billsfan89]

8 hours ago, RenoNVBillsfan said:

I liked Joe Parrino's take on Locked on Bills podcast in his assessment with Davidson.  Definitely called him a player that warrants consideration.  He also added that Morris has had a solid training camp so not to take anything away from his performance.  However, Parrino, whom I respect immensely as an analyst, said that there is no denying the "IT" factor that Davidson possesses.  6'7", ran a 4.6 40, athletic score of like 8.2 (10 being perfect).  His college production in his last year was like 40 catches for over 800 yrds and 15 TD's.  That's pretty impressive for a TE.  

 

Question:  Will Dawson Knox still be on the roster next year?  My guess is his salary and declining production to Kincaid will play him out of Buffalo. 

 

Josh and Knox are close, if Knox is willing to take pay cuts or reorient his deal if his production continues to slip I think he will have a top 3 TE spot. I don't think Josh is gonna say you gotta overpay my friend but if you got a player willing to be flexible on salary whose friends with the star QB then I think he's gonna stick around for a few more years (especially considering he is a capable player and turning 28 this season. 

[Richard Noggin]

12 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

This thread is way premature.  Lets see how Davidson performs in a at least one pre-season game before giving him a roster spot.

 

There's the Pump The Brakes post we all needed before our tepid enthusiasm for discussing bottom of the depth chart TEs worked its way up to a rolling boil. 

[Mr. WEO]

not exactly Kong v Godzilla....

[Dr.Sack]

I like Q Morris ability to slip press and soft hands, he’s also fairly shifty and can break tackles. Davidson looks good in shorts. We will see how good he is in actual games. 

[JohnNord]

On 8/1/2024 at 2:05 PM, ColoradoBills said:

I like Morris a lot as TE3 the past 2 seasons.  Always wished he was a little taller.

6'2" is on the short side for the position.  

Quintin is good on STs and a reliable catcher of the football when called upon to do so.

I've heard mixed feelings on his blocking abilities.

Has only 14 targets in 2 years but 2 TDs and 7 first downs.

 

I got no problem with Quintin resuming his TE3 role this year.

But................

 

Lots of talk about Davidson this camp.

Davidson has been on the Bills camp/PS the last 2 seasons.  He's really tall 6'7" but slimmer than Quintin.

I'd like to hear some thoughts about the possibility of him replacing Morris as TE3.

 

What do you guys think?

 

You kind of glanced over Morris’s ST ability.  He’s a huge part of that unit and IMO it might be the biggest reason why he wins the job.

 

As far as Davidson, unless he shows out in the preseason there’s a decent chance they can sneak him on the PS.  

20 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

Y'all do realize that Morris only played 185 (15.89%) of the offensive plays last year.  Morris' primary contribution was 312 special teams plays (72.56%).  

 

Whomever wins this camp battle is going to be primarily a special teams player.  Davidson is going to have to perform amazingly in pre-season games for Morris to lose his job.

If you’re the TE3, you need to contribute on Special Teams which is a strength of Morris.  I don’t think Davidson offers nearly as much which could be a deciding factor

[Mr. WEO]

16 hours ago, Dr.Sack said:

I like Q Morris ability to slip press and soft hands, he’s also fairly shifty and can break tackles. Davidson looks good in shorts. We will see how good he is in actual games. 

 

Huh?

 

Morris caught 2 passes last year on 3 targets with 1 drop. 

 

Also, 0 broken tackles.

Edited August 4 by Mr. WEO

[Bockeye]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2021-nfl-draft-from-division-ii-punter-to-nfl-tight-end-the-most-intriguing-prospect-youve-never-heard-of/
 

Davidson is a bit of an athletic freak for the position. COVID year didn’t let him shine, like a lot of kids. 
 

“at his pro day a week ago (Davidson's 37 ½-inch vertical would have been tops among all tight ends in the 2020 combine, and his 4.62 40-yard dash and 6.95 three-cone drill would have ranked second among everyone at his position a year ago, but they aren't 6-foot-7).”

[TPS]

Good discussion on Davidson and his battle for a roster spot on OBL today (starts about 6:30 mark).

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/obl-training-camp-day-9-reaction-and-takeaways

 

[ColoradoBills]

21 minutes ago, TPS said:

Good discussion on Davidson and his battle for a roster spot on OBL today (starts about 6:30 mark).

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/obl-training-camp-day-9-reaction-and-takeaways

 

 

Thank you for posting this.  The discussion is why I started the thread.

Actually, talking of a slim possibility of 5 WRs and 4TEs shows how much Davidson is impressing the media.

 

IF (and a big if) you entertain that thought, the battle goes between Morris, Hamlin and Davidson for 2 spots.

I do agree that if cut Zach Davidson has a good chance of being picked up by another team and the Bills losing him for the PS.

[TPS]

24 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Thank you for posting this.  The discussion is why I started the thread.

Actually, talking of a slim possibility of 5 WRs and 4TEs shows how much Davidson is impressing the media.

 

IF (and a big if) you entertain that thought, the battle goes between Morris, Hamlin and Davidson for 2 spots.

I do agree that if cut Zach Davidson has a good chance of being picked up by another team and the Bills losing him for the PS.

Size, speed, and athleticism. A TD machine in D2.  The Vikings took him in the 5th knowing he was raw, and he’s now had a few years to get up to nfl snuff. There is no way he makes it to the PS. 
tough decision. 

[BigAl2526]

If I were making the choice, I'm leaning toward Davidson at this point.  I think he's more talented.  I think the size advantage makes him potentially a more dynamic receiving option and he seems to be doing the little things well in camp.  He's blocked well.  The punting ability is a bonus.  The Bills have an old punter who was ineffective at times last season.  It would be nice to have a guy on the roster who could come and punt if your old guy gets hurt or starts struggling to get the ball downfield more than 35 or 40 yards.  Davidson can fill in until the Bills can sign a decent replacement. 

 

[Brand J]

For those who have seen Davidson plenty, how does his game compare to Mike Gesicki?

[Logic]

I didn't know much about Zach Davidson, other than that he was a 5th round pick in the 2021 draft and that he played both punter and tight end in college. 

At 26 years old and three years into his NFL career, I wondered what was causing this player to suddenly excel for the Bills in camp. Is he just a classic late bloomer? Was he raw coming out of school? This article shed some light, and I thought y'all might enjoy it.

Bills may have found themselves a keeper, and Morris's job may be in jeopardy (if the Bills don't elect to keep four TEs, that is).


https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2021-nfl-draft-zach-davidson-central-missouri-martin-rogers


The Incredible Journey of Zach Davidson

 

They love their football in Webb City, just outside Joplin in Southwest Missouri, and a short hop from the borders of Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

They love Webb City’s eponymous high school football team, a 15-time state champion, that serves as a source of civic pride and turns games into de facto community gatherings.

And they’ve fallen in love with the feel-good tale of one of their own. Zach Davidson, the NFL prospect who wasn’t even on the radar a couple of years ago, now shapes up as one of the most enjoyable stories of the draft.
 

Assuming he gets picked over the weekend, football fans around the country will soon be playing catch-up, for Davidson’s journey has been remarkable. 

"Everyone is just amazed and excited by what he has accomplished to get to this point, where his ultimate dream could come true," John Roderique, head coach for 12 of Webb City’s state titles and still in charge of the program, told me via telephone on Thursday.

"People see him around town and there is a lot of pride in how far he has come. I’ve told him, I’m going to be in tears when he gets drafted."

Davidson is coming out of Division II Central Missouri, but as what, exactly? He punts with a booming leg that can clear the bleachers. He is teaching himself to long snap and place hold. He has even worked out as an H-back. Yet it is at tight end where he appears to have the most NFL potential, and what will likely earn him the call at some point in the middle to later rounds.
 

"I feel like the sky is the literal limit for me," Davidson told KOAM/FOX 14 television. "I’m just waiting on my shot."

He is an enigma, and he has an enigmatic story about how it all started.

During his sophomore year in high school, Davidson was tall and scrawny and the beneficiary of some good fortune when the varsity squad was hit by a suspension. According to Roderique, a couple of "little knuckleheads had been caught smashing up mailboxes" and Davidson was picked out of an impromptu JV trial.

He punted exclusively his junior year and was a depth chart tight end for his senior season, meaning college offers weren’t exactly flowing and the ones that did focused on his ability to boot it miles.

Davidson went to Central Missouri off the power of his leg, but never stopped working and never wavered in his belief he could be an elite tight end. He broke out in 2019, with All-American accolades at both positions. He had an average of more than 22 yards-per-catch and a tight end program-record 15 touchdowns.

The pandemic robbed him of the opportunity for a final campaign but Davidson committed himself to relentless preparation, both at a camp in Florida and back at Webb City, where he checks in with Roderique and uses the school facilities.
 

His pro day – where he recorded a 37.5-inch vertical, a 4.62 40-yard dash and 6.95 three-cone drill, all while standing at 6-foot-7 – ensured he would be much-discussed among NFL evaluators. Such prospects sometimes go higher than expected and Davidson’s stock has reached a point where it would be a major surprise if he were to go undrafted.

"A lot of people didn’t realize he was only 17 when he graduated high school, so he had a lot of growth potential," Roderique added. "He has built his strength and his speed and he is just tireless at it."

Webb City hearts were gladdened last year when offensive lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, where he played two games in 2020. But Davidson is the prospect that came from deep. Really deep. Yet here he is.

Having needed to show ultimate faith in himself to get to this point, Davidson sees no reason to change that approach now and feels he can still take major strides forward.

"I am definitely very confident that once I get there I’ll be able to just expand my game to an all-time high," he added. "And learn from some of the best to ever do it."

Davidson is one of those special draft stories, of a player making the absolute most of his potential and overturning the odds. If that magic moment arrives for him this weekend, it will be the biggest step yet in an extraordinary journey. It will spark delight in Webb City, and see a tear of two trickle from his former coach’s eye.

"No one gets to the NFL who doesn’t deserve it," Roderique said. "But Zach, and how far he’s come? He really, really deserves it."


 

 

[ganesh]

On 8/3/2024 at 4:36 AM, ColoradoBills said:

 

Thanks.  

 

The Knox stuff was more about some posters wondering what his status for next year may be.

I guess that could have an impact on the discussion.

People don't understand Knox's value to this team especially in the Red Zone.  He is a big time target for Josh and he has delivered there every time.

[NewEra]

What I hate about this camp battle is-  whomever we cut, will probably sign with an AFC rival.  Both guys look like they can play