Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers got hurt rushing the punter with 4:35 left in the first half of Sunday’s NFL playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But when the Buffalo offense lined up for the first snap of the second half, the former Alabama receiver was back on the field.
On Tuesday, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Shavers had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and the wide receiver would be sidelined for the rest of the postseason because of the knee injury.
“Just amazing what he was able to do to come back in the game and play the way that he did,” McDermott said. “… He embodies what we’re all about. I mean, I believe it happened somewhere in the second quarter when we went out there to look at him, and for him to then come back into the game and then for it to turn out to be what it was is remarkable –remarkable toughness, remarkable commitment to the team.”
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Shavers was on the field for 34 offensive snaps and two special-teams plays during Buffalo’s 27-24 victory over Jacksonville in the Wild-Card Weekend win.
Shavers had a 14-yard reception for Buffalo’s initial first down against the Jaguars.
Shavers’ setback is the latest in a series of injuries that have struck the Bills. That includes a torn ACL for wide receiver Gabe Davis in Sunday’s game, leaving Keon Coleman, Brandin Cooks and Khalil Shakir as the only healthy wide receivers on Buffalo’s active roster. On Tuesday, wide receiver Curtis Samuel returned to practice, making him eligible to return from injured reserve after an eight-game absence.
“I’d like to say it’s the love that these guys in the locker room have for each other,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of his teammates battling through injuries. “Point being Shavers tearing his ACL in the second quarter and playing the entire rest of the game, going out there blocking, putting his body on the line for his teammates while in pain. I mean, that speaks volumes of who he is, but I think that it kind of encompasses this team as a unit — just willing to do what it takes to help this team win football games. And I really respect him and applaud him for going out there and doing that.
“He’s a team favorite over the last few years of, again, just working hard, putting his head down, going out there making plays. And the toughness and the grit that he showed this last game was pretty remarkable, and I think guys see that and they respect the heck out of him. But again, I think that that kind of embodies what our team is.”
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In two seasons at Alabama, Shavers caught one pass – a 20-yard reception in a 66-3 victory over Western Carolina on Nov. 23, 2019, one week after he ran 14 yards in a 38-7 victory over Mississippi State. Shavers also scored on a 2-yard return of a blocked punt in a 47-28 victory over Texas A&M on Oct. 12, 2019.
Shavers had nine receptions for Mississippi State in 2020, then 18 in 2021 for San Diego State after another transfer. In 2022, Shavers had 38 receptions for 643 yards and three touchdowns for SDSU.
Shavers joined Buffalo as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and spent that season on the Bills’ practice squad.
Shavers spent most of the 2024 season on the Buffalo practice squad, too. But he played in three games and took his only reception 69 yards for a touchdown in a 40-14 victory over the New York Jets on Dec. 29, 2024.
In 2024, Shavers was on the field for 32 offensive snaps and 10 special-teams plays. In 2025, Shavers had 475 offensive snaps and 243 special-teams plays while playing every game – 17 regular-season contests and one playoff game. He started 10 times.
Shavers had 16 receptions for 259 yards and one touchdown in his 18 appearances.
The Bills are scheduled to kick off the Divisional Weekend of the NFL playoffs against the Denver Broncos at 3:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. CBS will televise the game.