There was so much talk in the offseason about how wide receiver Stefon Diggs needed a true running mate on the other side if the Buffalo Bills’ offense was going to reach its full potential.

First, edge rusher and general manager in training Von Miller told us that Odell Beckham Jr. was going to be that guy, until he signed with the Ravens. Then, Miller told us that DeAndre Hopkins was going to be that guy, until he signed with the Titans. As a recruiter, let’s just say Miller is a great pass rusher.

All along, Gabe Davis was sitting at home down in Florida thinking to himself, that guy is me. And that’s exactly how Diggs, Josh Allen, Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott and Ken Dorsey feel, too.

“It means a lot, the bosses are on my side at the end of the day, and they know football best for the Bills,” Davis said Thursday following training camp practice at St. John Fisher University. “You got the guys who run the team and run the organization saying that they’re on my side with things and they trust and believe in me. I mean, there’s no better feeling to have when you go out on the field that the other guys that are out there with you don’t want to replace you, they want to keep you there, and they know the potential and the success you can have.”

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Davis put together two solid seasons as the No. 3 receiver after the Bills picked him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That first year, John Brown began the season opposite Diggs, and then in 2021 it was Emmanuel Sanders, two wily veterans. But both got hurt and did not finish the season, so Davis stepped up as the starter and finished with 35 catches each year.

Then came the 2021 divisional playoff game at Kansas City when Davis had the night of his life - eight catches for 201 yards and an NFL postseason record four touchdowns. So heading into 2022, there was no competition for Davis - he was the clear cut No. 2 receiver and expectations were soaring.

However, he suffered an ankle injury in the season opener against the Rams and while he went on to set career highs for targets (93), catches (48), yards (836) and touchdowns (7), the injury limited his effectiveness. Specifically, it created inconsistencies from week to week as his drop percentage on catchable targets was 11.1%, highest among all players with at least 90 targets according to Pro Football Focus.

“Hurting my ankle the way I did … I just felt like I lost a step,” he said. “Really couldn’t do the things that I wanted to do that I was doing early that (training) camp. So it definitely was something that I was struggling with mentally, just having that pain on my ankle, trying to figure out ways to get my head out of it and kind of just play my game.”

Training camp Bills need their receivers to lend Stefon Diggs a hand to keep the offense humming

He had some great moments - three catches for 171 yards including a 98-yard TD reception against the Steelers may have been the best, and six catches for 93 yards in the Miami playoff game - but overall, it was pretty blah.

Thus, the speculation about Beckham and Hopkins ramped up, especially with Davis eligible to become a free agent after this season. Instead, the Bills signed receivers Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield to fill in the spots below Davis on the depth chart, showing the utmost confidence that he can bounce back with a big year, not to mention at a far more reasonable pay rate than Beckham and Hopkins.

“He’s a very big piece of what we’ve got here,” Dorsey said. “He goes in there and he runs the deep routes, and he obviously doesn’t get a huge volume of targets in the last couple of years, but he’s still produced some really big numbers. And again, trying to maybe get some more easy ones for him and allow him to catch and run. The way that he works is very inspiring. Guys see that, and it makes guys work harder.”

Davis admitted that he heard the chatter about his inconsistent season and yes, it did bother him. This year, it’s all about proving to everyone that he can reach the heights that were projected for him after the Chiefs playoff game.

“I have expectations for myself and the way I play the game and the way I do things,” he said. “What everybody else says is just how they feel, I guess. But for me, I’m hard on myself. I work hard to do great things. And each and every day I’m out there I try to separate myself from others. It’s not like I had some crazy bad year. It’s not like I was out here like not doing anything, just the ankle hindered me pretty hard. And you know, it wasn’t what everybody expected.”

Wednesday, Diggs said that he thinks Davis is ready for a breakout season and that if he wasn’t in Buffalo, Davis would be the No. 1 receiver on the team.

“Stef is like a big brother, he’s been on my side from day one,” Davis said. “I saw what he said yesterday about me. So he’s just a guy I know I can lean on and depend on and gives me confidence. He’s the best of the best to do it, so if a guy like that is saying that, a guy that knows football, then everyone should be saying the same thing.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which will come out every Friday during the offseason, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: OBJ and Hopkins who? Bills believe Gabe Davis can have big season