Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - When the Buffalo Bills traded away Stefon Diggs in the offseason to the Houston Texans, the biggest questions surrounding the team was: “Who replace him as Josh Allen's favorite target? Would the Bills be able to thrive on offense without him?”
Through three games, Khalil Shakir is beginning to answer those questions.
The Bills have a montra of "everybody eats", which, by the way, is not new to them at all.
Four years ago, with Diggs leading the way, the Bills set the record for the number of different players to catch a touchdown in a season.
Within their "everybody eats", no matter how much is just PR fluff, Shakir, undoubtedly, looks like their top wideout. In fact, Shakir is playing like one of the top wideouts in the NFL.
Through three weeks of the NFL season, Shakir is No. 1 in the league in receiving EPA, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Shakir is currently riding a streak of 27 targets caught in-a-row, tying him with Michael Thomas for the all-time NFL record for a wide receiver. He’s also just two receptions behind former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas for the NFL record, regardless of position.
Shakir is currently 10th-best in the NFL in yards per-route run. The five names just behind him? Malik Nabers, D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, George Pickens, and CeeDee Lamb.
Keep in mind, when looking at Shakir's box score numbers, whether it's just 14 targets and receptions or 168 receiving yards, he has not had to play in either second half of the last two games.
The Bills were so far ahead of the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars at halftime, they basically were working to run out the clock in the second half. Even for the few snaps Shakir was on the field, the Bills weren't throwing the ball.
Shakir basically has 14 targets, 14 catches and 168 yards in two games, not three.
This week, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman had some comments that sparked a thought in me:
What Edelman fails to mention is not too long after Tom Brady lost Wes Welker and had to "recalibrate", Brady started throwing to Edelman over 150 times three times. That’s one of the highest target rates in the NFL over a five-year span.
What basically happened in New England was Welker left, Brady recalibrated, threw to everyone, and once he realized Edelman was the best of the bunch, he locked in.
That could be what's happening with Allen right now. Diggs was his most trustworthy target for four years, and what we're watching so far this season,
is Allen figuring out who he can trust the most.
More-and-more, that player is starting to look like Shakir.
Don't be surprised if within the next 20 months, we see Shakir get 100-plus-target seasons, and eventually a new big contract.
He's earned that type of projection.
