Corey Davis streaked across the back of the end zone on Thursday then pulled in a Zach Wilson pass as he tumbled to the ground, managing to stay in bounds for a highlight of the OTA practice. 

For Davis, just being on the field this spring has been special after a difficult first season with the Jets. Davis played just nine games after signing a three-year, $37.5 million contract in free agency with the team in 2021. He suffered hip and groin injuries, and underwent core muscle surgery in December that ended his season. 

“I’ve missed it,” Davis said after Thursday’s OTA. “It feels like it’s been a little while. We’re starting to get back into it and I feel good running around, healthy. We’ve got to keep it going.” 

Davis revealed on Thursday that he was not just hurting physically last season, but also mentally. His brother, Titus, died at the age of 27 in November 2020 from cancer. The pain of that loss was something Davis said he struggled with last year. 

“The past couple of years have been pretty rough,” Davis said. “I feel like I haven’t really had the time to kind of dissect everything. I lost my brother, my homie, my best friend, and I never really had time to breathe after that happened. I feel like this offseason was the first time I really had the time to think about it and actually put him to rest. It was tough. I got through it and I’m better because of it.” 

Davis said he did not talk about the loss of his brother enough. 

“I didn’t at first, which is kind of why I was going through it,” Davis said. 

But he eventually leaned on his wife. 

“My wife was there,” he said. “She was patient with me the whole time. She wasn’t too pushy or too standoffish or whatever. She was right there patient. Whenever I was ready to talk, she was the one I went to.” 

On Thursday, Davis seemed like he was at peace and said he expects fans to see a better version of him this year. 

“I was kind of going through it a little bit when I got injured,” he said. “I feel like I grew a lot mentally, spiritually and I just took a lot of steps forward. It was necessary. It was what I needed. I feel good coming into the year with a lot more clarity, that’s for sure.” 

Davis had 34 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the Jets. He said he was fully recovered from his surgery by March and began to work out again. Wilson traveled to Tennessee to work out with Davis in March before also going to Florida and Arizona to work out with Jets receivers. 

“We got a lot out of it,” Davis said. “Zach was on the grand tour this offseason. He went to Arizona, Florida and came to Tennessee. That shows the type of leader he is, the type of guy he is to hop on a plane and go all across the country to throw with guys. That shows how bad he wants it. It was really good work when he came down to Tennessee. We got like two days of work in. It’s only up from here.” 

For Davis, he believes a second year in Mike LaFleur’s system will help him play faster. 

“[I am] a lot more comfortable,” Davis said. “I can go out there and play fast. I’m not spending too much time thinking about what play I have or what I have to run or how I’m going to run it. I can just go out there and play off instincts and play fast.”