Curtis Samuel planted his right foot in the grass and quickly cut to the inside of the field before the Buffalo Bills wide receiver caught a pass from Josh Allen during practice.<\/p>\n
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Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel had 31 catches for 253 yards and one touchdown in his first season in Buffalo last year.<\/p>\n
Derek Gee, Buffalo News<\/p>\n
The hamstring injury that kept Samuel out for most of training camp is healed. Missing so much time ahead of a season with Super Bowl expectations raised questions about his future in Buffalo.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Bills\u2019 second preseason game in Chicago, coach Sean McDermott called Samuel an \u201cimportant piece,\u201d but the team needed to see how he fits in their offense for 2025. Though Samuel participated in team drills for just three padded practices, he was on the initial 53-man roster announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what I\u2019m capable of doing when I\u2019m out there,\u201d Samuel told The Buffalo News recently. \u201cI\u2019m going to fight and work to be out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Availability has been Samuel\u2019s issue since the 29-year-old receiver signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Bills as a free agent in 2024. Over the past week, an illness kept him out of the preseason finale and he missed practice Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Samuel appeared in 14 games during his first season in Buffalo, catching 31 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown. In three playoff games, he caught six passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n
But a turf toe injury suffered in training camp last year sidelined Samuel during the preseason and delayed his involvement in the offense. Back in time for Week 1, Samuel caught just 12 passes in seven games before he injured his shoulder. It cost him one game in Week 8 and he missed two additional games late in the regular season because of a pectoral injury. <\/p>\n
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\u201cFour years in the NFL, I\u2019m still learning,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cI\u2019m still young. Now I know, \u2018OK, this is my game,\u2019 then you attack that and you get better, because now, you have the confidence in yourself and your abilities. \u2026 Year 5, I\u2019m trying to hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel showed in the playoffs how he can help the Bills. He\u2019s an exceptional athlete who can turn a short pass into a long gain. The 2017 second-round pick had 90-plus targets in four of five seasons from 2019-2023, including in 2020, when he set career highs in catches (77) and receiving yards (851) in Carolina with Joe Brady calling plays for the Panthers before he became the Bills\u2019 offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n \u201cA little bit of juice,\u201d Allen said of how Samuel bolsters Buffalo\u2019s offense. \u201cThe shiftiness, the quickness that he has when the ball\u2019s in his hands. He\u2019s an electric football player. So just getting him back to health and getting him out there and getting reps with us, that was good to see.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bills used Samuel across the formation in 2024, with 198 snaps out wide and 167 in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. Thirteen of his receptions were behind the line of scrimmage, while 15 were within 9 yards. He has run-after-the-catch ability, and the speed to take advantage of an opponent using a single high safety. <\/p>\n
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