Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - My 2025 State of the Buffalo Bills series continues with a look at the wide receivers:
Under contract:
- Khalil Shakir
- Keon Coleman
- Curtis Samuel
- K.J. Hamler
- Tyrell Shavers
- Jalen Virgil
Pending free agents:
- Amari Cooper (UFA)
- Mack Hollins (UFA)
State of the position:
No position may have been more scrutinized or questioned heading into the 2024 season than wide receiver. Only one player returned from the previous year who had ever caught a pass from Josh Allen: Khalil Shakir.
Shakir continued to build upon his performance to end the 2023 season by leading the Bills in targets (100), receptions (76), and yards (821). He became Allen’s most reliable weapon with incredibly consistent hands, finishing with a 76% catch percentage, fifth amongst all NFL wide receivers. He was also terrific after getting the ball in his hands.
Shakir also served as a punt returner when primary return man Brandon Codrington was injured at the end of the season, and kept that role through the playoffs. He just turned 25-years-old, and has one year remaining on his four-year rookie contract.
Could an extension be in order? That’s something the team will examine this offseason.
Curtis Samuel was signed to a three-year, $24 million contract last March, and was thought to be a huge part of Joe Brady‘s offense. That never materialized, though.
After a toe injury during training camp, Samuel saw limited targets early in the season. Then, just as it seemed he was finally on his way back to being able to make an impact, more injuries piled up, and things just never worked out.
The 28-year-old now has a full offseason to recover, and get a fresh start in Year 2 with the club.
The Bills traded down twice in last year’s NFL Draft before selecting Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round.
The rookie got off to a slow start, catching just nine passes in his first five games, but then started to show some real flashes and made a solid impact, including a two-game span with a total of nine catches for 195 yards.
After injuring his wrist the following week against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, Coleman missed four-straight games. Then when he came back, the production never got back to where it was prior to the injury.
In his end-of-season press conference, general manager Brandon Beane said he "didn’t see the same player" during that time as he did before Coleman was hurt, specifically mentioning the lack of physicality. Beane also said the organization and player discussed that, and what’s needed of him going forward.
The Bills will certainly be looking for Coleman to take a big step up in his second year in the NFL.
Many viewed Mack Hollins as a roster bubble guy when the Bills signed him last offseason to a one-year contract. However, it was apparent right away the team had bigger plans for him, playing both on special teams and as a primary wide receiver.
Hollins didn’t put up spectacular numbers, but made some very impactful plays for the club, including leading the team with 73 yards and a touchdown in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 31-year-old is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March. From all indications, both sides love the situation with each other, and a reunion is very possible.
Beane made a trade deadline deal for Amari Cooper, looking to add another piece to the group. Two games into his Bills tenure, Cooper suffered a wrist injury and, while he didn’t miss any games, was on the injury report for several weeks. He was even questionable to play multiple times.
Cooper never became a big part of the offense, finishing with 20 catches for 297 yards in eight games in Buffalo.
He’ll be 31-years-old and an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He could very well garner quite a bit of interest from several teams looking for a solid veteran who had back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons before this past year.
If that’s the case, the cost to re-sign him may be too pricey for Buffalo. Otherwise, they’ll probably continue to monitor his market and have interest in bringing him back at the right price.
Tyrell Shavers, K.J. Hamler, and Jalen Virgil all re-signed to reserve/futures contracts with the club after the season ended. They’ll all be a part of the 90-man roster this offseason, and presumably come to training camp to, once again, fight for roster spots.
Of the group, Shavers appeared to show the most upside during last year‘s camp and preseason, then caught his first NFL pass and raced 69 yards for a touchdown in Week 17 against the New York Jets.
Hamler was on the practice squad all season, was elevated once, but was inactive and did not see any action.
Virgil started on the practice squad, was then signed to the 53-man roster, released, and re-signed to the practice squad. Over that time, he saw time in seven games, playing 43% of the special teams snaps and 37 snaps on offense.
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