Ray Davis Turns Special Teams Into a Stage - And He’s Stealing the Show
ORCHARD PARK - Football has always been a game of collective effort. The highlight reels might be filled with quarterbacks launching deep balls or receivers toe-tapping in the end zone, but behind every explosive play is a unit moving in sync. And when it comes to kickoff returns, that harmony is everything.
Just ask Ray Davis. The Buffalo Bills running back has gone from a backup offensive piece to a breakout star on special teams - and he’s quick to credit the guys paving the way.
“It’s like going to a symphony,” Davis said. “Everybody has to be on that perfect note, right?
If one person’s off that note, then we don’t sound too good. So to know that everybody does their job and that I’m able to succeed, it’s really kudos to them.”
That humility is genuine, but let’s be clear: Davis is doing more than just riding good blocking. He’s seizing the moment with a vengeance.
From Offensive Depth to Special Teams Spark
Davis didn’t return kicks in college. As a rookie, he barely dipped his toe into the role - just seven returns at a modest 21.0-yard average.
Fast forward to 2025, and he’s leading the entire league with a 32.4-yard average on 23 returns. That’s not just a leap.
That’s a rocket launch.
“Phenomenal,” said head coach Sean McDermott. “Just his mindset - let’s start there.
He’s embraced a role that maybe wasn’t his initial goal. And yet he saw an opportunity and took advantage of it.
He’s taken a lot of pride in doing well.”
And that opportunity didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from necessity.
The Bills’ return game was a revolving door early in the season. Ty Johnson, Curtis Samuel, and Brandon Codrington all took turns, but none made the position their own. That led Buffalo to bring in Mecole Hardman, who flashed immediately with a 61-yard return against Tampa Bay - only to injure his hamstring later that same game.
Enter Davis.
Against the Bucs, Davis delivered four returns for 158 yards. Against the Texans, he took one 97 yards to the house. And just last week in New England, he averaged 41 yards on four returns - flipping the field and helping fuel a comeback win.
A New Role, A New Mindset
Coming into year two, Davis had every reason to expect a bigger role in the offense. He was solid as a rookie - 442 rushing yards, three scores on the ground, and another three through the air. A prototypical No. 2 behind James Cook.
But Cook has taken over in 2025. Through 14 games, he’s already logged 302 touches - blowing past his career highs.
He’s second in the league in rushing yards per game, behind only Jonathan Taylor. And with Cook on the field for 61% of the offensive snaps, Davis has seen his share fall to just 11%.
That’s translated to only 33 carries and five catches all year.
So Davis pivoted.
“I definitely had some high expectations for myself coming into year two offensively, and things aren’t panning out the way it is,” he said. “So I had to shift my mindset and my focus and just find a role on this team where I can stick around.”
That role? Kickoff returner - with the ball still in his hands, just in a different context. And he’s proving he can be a weapon in that phase of the game, too.
Historic Company
Davis is now part of a select group in Buffalo history. Only four other Bills players have ever led the NFL in kickoff return average: Andre Roberts (30.0 in 2020), Terrence McGee (30.2 in 2005), Mike Mosley (27.1 in the 1982 strike season), and Wallace Francis (29.9 in 1973).
Davis’ current 32.4-yard average? That’s not just the best in the league - it’s tied for the 10th-best single-season mark in NFL history. The all-time record belongs to Travis Williams, who averaged a jaw-dropping 41.1 yards per return for the Packers in 1967, with four touchdowns to go with it.
And with the NFL’s new kickoff alignment - designed to encourage more returns - the play now mirrors a traditional running play more than ever. That’s part of why Davis has taken to it so naturally.
“I see it kind of like playing running back,” Davis said. “It’s like inside zone and you just got to start canceling gaps, see the first thing you see, and you just got to run, man.
When you’re going full speed and you’re a stocky guy like myself, you got to put them in a position where they got to tackle. I’ve always been a guy where a lot of people don’t want to tackle me, so when I’m going down full-speed, it’s kind of a ‘good luck’ situation to them.”
The Bottom Line
Ray Davis may not be getting the offensive touches he envisioned this year. But he’s found a new lane - literally - and he’s turning it into a strength for the Bills.
In a season where Buffalo has been searching for consistency in all three phases, Davis has become a difference-maker on special teams. And if he keeps this up, he won’t just be a fill-in - he’ll be a cornerstone in the return game.
Because in the NFL, it’s not always about the role you wanted. Sometimes, it’s about owning the role you’re given - and making it impossible for the coaches to take you off the field. Davis is doing exactly that.