{"id":327775,"date":"2025-08-30T00:40:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T00:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/327775\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T00:40:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T00:40:10","slug":"tyrell-shavers-breaks-through-with-buffalo-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/327775\/","title":{"rendered":"Tyrell Shavers breaks through with Buffalo Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Buffalo Bills waived Tyrell Shavers<\/a> at the end of the preseason in 2023 and 2024. But this week, when the NFL team made its roster cuts to reach the regular-season limit of 53 active players, the former Alabama<\/a> wide receiver survived.<\/p>\n

Shavers aims to keep his roster spot the same way that he earned it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy, of course,\u201d Shavers said<\/a>. \u201cThis is something I\u2019ve been working for my whole life, but now the work really begins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Work has been a key word for Shavers since he joined Buffalo as an undrafted rookie from San Diego State in 2023, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cShaves has worked so hard,\u201d Beane said<\/a>. \u201cYou know, I commend him. Not only do I think he\u2019s continued to improve his game and his feel for our offense, his connection with our quarterbacks, but special teams, we really have stressed to him since he\u2019s been here if you\u2019re not trotting out with the starting group and playing starter reps that if you can help on fourth down, at least a couple of phases — the more, the better — but if you can at least do that and have some type of impact, that helps us get you on to this 53 because when we get to game day, we only get to dress 48. And so we\u2019ve got to make sure every part of the kicking game is covered as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think Shaves has shown that he\u2019s earned that opportunity. He\u2019ll tell you before I tell you he\u2019s still got to continue to work and grow and improve, but we have a lot of confidence. (Offensive coordinator) Joe Brady has confidence in him. (Special-teams coordinator) Chris Tabor has confidence in him and (coach) Sean McDermott does, and ultimately that\u2019s why we made the decision to keep him on our 53.\u201d<\/p>\n

After waiving Shavers the previous two years, Buffalo brought him back as a member of its practice squad both times. In three games last season as a practice-squad elevation, Shavers turned a short pass into a 69-yard touchdown <\/a>and played 32 offensive snaps and 10 special-teams plays.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, when Shavers made an acrobatic one-handed catch for a touchdown <\/a>in a 23-19 preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the wide receiver also recorded two special-teams tackles. <\/p>\n

Buffalo kept seven wide receivers among its 53 players. Shavers is the only one who hasn\u2019t played at least four seasons in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you have to consider everything,\u201d Beane said<\/a>. \u201cYou have to consider what\u2019s the position flexibility not only physically but mentally. Shave\u2019s a very smart guy. He can line up — just because I have the skill set to line up inside or out doesn\u2019t mean I can mentally do that, even on a drive. How the play is called in the huddle, whether it\u2019s flipped or not, so that\u2019s very important. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then again, we emphasize run game, too. You\u2019re talking about a bigger body. We want all our guys, however you want to say it, there\u2019s slogans out there: No block, no rock, or whatever your jargon is, all those things. Shaves is a team player, whether it\u2019s the run game, running a guy off to clear out for someone else or whether he needs to run the slant route. You guys saw him catch the fade ball the other day. Like when he\u2019s out there, if the defense says throw it to Shavers, Josh is going to let it rip or Mitch (Trubisky) or whoever\u2019s in the game, and there\u2019s a lot of trust with him. Again, not just with the backup quarterbacks, but with No. 17 (starting quarterback Josh Allen). <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, he got a little bit of play time last year, had the big play at the end of the — I don\u2019t remember, it was a Jets game maybe. But I think it\u2019s the versatility, mentally smart, physically and mentally tough. And again, we talked about his improvement on special teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

In two seasons at Alabama, Shavers caught one pass \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

FOR MORE OF AL.COM\u2019S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE<\/a><\/p>\n

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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