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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 03: George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys rushes ahead of Max Melton #16 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on November 03, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The Buffalo Bills will soon have a new head coach and likely a new offensive coordinator as well, and one insider believes they will add a new No. 1 receiver to go with them.
The Bills struggled to get consistent production from their wide receiving corps this season, watching the group struggle and veteran Brandin Cooks assume a significant role despite not joining the team until December.
With the Bills already making one drastic change in the firing of head coach Sean McDermott, Pro Football Sports Network’s Ryan Guthrie believes they will overhaul the wide receiving corps as well.
Bills Take Big Swing at Wide Receiver
In a set of early free agency predictions, Guthrie suggested the Bills will find a new “alpha” receiver in George Pickens. Guthrie wrote that signing Pickens would signal the kind of urgency the Bills showed in firing McDermott after the team’s divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos.
“The Bills’ window is now. After firing Sean McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane has no excuses left. Josh Allen needs a true alpha target, and Pickens is the best one available,” Guthrie wrote.
Guthrie added that Pickens would add an element that’s been missing in Buffalo.
“George Pickens is a nightmare underneath and one of the league’s premier contested-catch and vertical threats,” Guthrie wrote. “He finished in the top three in the PFSN NFL WR Impact Metric and proved what he can do with competent quarterback play. This move screams urgency.”
Bills Saw Drop in Production From Wide Receivers
While the Bills found success in their “everybody eats” approach following the departure of Stefon Diggs in 2024, the wide receiving corps struggled in 2025. Khalil Shakir led the group with 72 receptions for 719 yards, but no other receiver had more than 404 yards. The Bills did get some big production from tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, but will likely need more from receivers in order to remain in contention in 2026.
Some insiders also believe the team will move on from Coleman after his struggles with disciplinary issues in 2025, when he was benched twice for missing team meetings or practices. Coleman became a point of contention when owner Terry Pegula and newly promoted Brandon Beane quabbled over who was responsible for picking Coleman in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Pegula said. “I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but he wasn’t his next choice. That was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player. He’s taken, for some reason, heat over it, and not saying a word about it. I’m here to tell you the true story.”
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports predicted that the Bills would move on from Coleman, putting the receiver on the trade block after his second NFL season.
“It would seem to be untenable for Coleman to return to the Bills in 2026 in the wake of these comments,” Dubin wrote. “This isn’t something you just put your head down and forget about. So with that in mind, we want to take a look at a few potential landing spots that might make sense for Coleman as a ‘second draft’ type of prospect who could be rehabilitated in a new situation.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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