Orchard Park, NY (WGR550) - The first two editions of my State of the Bills series this year were pretty straightforward when it came to breaking down the quarterbacks and running backs and their depth charts.
But this next one, not so much. Let’s take a look at the wide receivers.
WIDE RECEIVER
Under Contract:
- D.J. Moore
- Khalil Shakir
- Keon Coleman
- Joshua Palmer
- Skyler Bell
- Tyrell Shavers
- Mecole Hardman
- Stephen Gosnell
- Jalen Virgil
- Trent Sherfield
For the last couple of months I’ve been saying that how the Bills operate on draft weekend will tell us a lot about how they feel about Keon Coleman.
The draft has come and gone. The Bills did select Skyler Bell in the fourth round, but did not grab anyone any earlier. That, along with general manager Brandon Beane’s and head coach Joe Brady‘s continued and consistent comments about their confidence and belief in Coleman point to him still being not only on the roster, but what they hope to be an integral part of the offense.
If Coleman can put the tardiness issues that have plagued him over his first two seasons behind him, that’s very possible. But the Bills and their fans need to see that actually happen first.
As far as Bell, he comes to Buffalo after a ton of production at UConn. He was the only wide receiver in all of college football to finish in the top three in the nation in receptions, yards, and touchdown catches.
He should see the field immediately, but in what exact role will be interesting. And that may be determined by Coleman’s situation.
The Bills paid a pretty premium asset – a second round pick – to acquire DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears this offseason. Moore will immediately vault to the front of the team‘s depth chart as their top wideout who can play in any situation all over the field.
Khalil Shakir has been the de facto number one guy over the last couple years. He’s led the Bills in targets and catches each of the last two seasons, and by quite a bit in each. Prior to last year, Shakir signed a 4-year, $60.2 million contract extension and will surely be one of Josh Allen’s main targets again in 2026.
Shakir is reliable and versatile. He can play inside or outside depending on situation and what personnel Joe Brady wants. He’s also been the team’s main punt returner, but they would probably prefer not to have him continue to do that in order to utilize him as much as they can on offense.
Joshua Palmer was the Bills top free agent wide receiver acquisition last year. He was expected to play a big role in the offense. Unfortunately for him and the team, injuries were a big part of the story and he wasn’t healthy enough to make the kind of impact they had hoped.
Palmer missed five games, and by the end of the season was targeted only 37 times, caught just 22 passes for 303 yards and did not score a touchdown in his first campaign in Buffalo. If he can stay healthy, he is still expected to be a significant part of the offense.
What a tough break for Tyrell Shavers. After two years on the practice squad and looking like he could have made the team a couple of times, he finally did. His perseverance and hard work paid off.
Shavers played in all 17 regular season games last year. He was on the field for almost 40% of the offensive snaps, third most of any wideout on the club. But he was also a core special teams player, logging more special teams snaps (56%) than any other receiver. He was only targeted 23 times, but when the ball came his way, he still made some big and important plays finishing with 15 catches for 245 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, Shavers suffered a major knee injury in the team’s Wild Card playoff game at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He tore his ACL before halftime. He left briefly, but actually came out and played the rest of the game with the injury before it was fully evaluated and the severity of it was discovered.
He’s still rehabbing and Beane said “it’s going to take a little time,” considering the injury happened in January.
Given that, it’s hard to expect Shavers to be ready for any offseason work, and training camp and even the start of the regular season are probably up-in-the-air at this point.
That’s probably a big reason the Bills brought back Trent Sherfield as a free agent.
Sherfield returns after playing for the club in 2023. He essentially played the same role then that Shavers did last year, logging 34% of snaps on offense and 35% on special teams.
If Shavers is not ready in time for the season, Sheffield will have a solid shot to make the roster in that role again.
Mecole Hardman re-signed with the club on a reserve/futures deal as soon as last season ended after coming to Buffalo midway through the year to help as a return man and speedy wide receiver.
Given the names and number of people in front of him, he’s probably on the outside looking to start camp, but his talent and speed is intriguing and he will probably get every opportunity to carve out a role as a punt returner.
Stephen Gosnell spent last season on the practice squad after flashing a few points during training camp and preseason. He’ll come back and try to do the same to show he’s ready to play on an active roster and when needed.
Jalen Virgil actually played seven games for the team in 2024. He saw very limited action on offense, but was not targeted at all. However, there were three separate games in which he was on the field for over 60% of the special teams snaps. He will have an uphill battle to make the roster, but has the kind of profile teams always consider for the backend of their depth chart.
The team has reportedly signed three undrafted free agents: Max Tomczak (Youngstown State), Ja’Mori Maclin (Kentucky), and Gabriel Benyard (Kennesaw State).
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