The Buffalo Bills went into the 2025 NFL season with a clear need at wide receiver. Truthfully, they entered the 2024 season with that same need, as they had jettisoned former No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs before the season began, replacing him in the playing rotation with then-rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman \u2014 a second-round draft pick in 2024. While general manager Brandon Beane never acknowledged the need, he did swing a trade for a veteran receiver, landing Amari Cooper as the Bills made a deep playoff run that ultimately fell short of the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
So, after Cooper wasn\u2019t retained for the 2025 season, the Bills were back where they started at the receiver position. Beane added some mid-tier free agents and a late-round draft choice, but the receiving corps was essentially the same as it was the season prior (minus Mack Hollins). What happened was predictable: Buffalo\u2019s wideouts struggled to separate from better defensive secondaries, and Beane found himself searching for a trade partner in November. This time, he was left dancing with himself, the Bills found no new receivers via trade, and they instead scoured the waiver wire for their veteran addition.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not terribly surprising, then, that the receiver position is still one of immense need heading into the 2026 NFL season. With new head coach Joe Brady in charge, it\u2019s possible that we might see a different emphasis on the position than was in place when Brady was merely the offensive coordinator to head coach Sean McDermott. It\u2019s also entirely possible that the types of receivers that we\u2019ve seen the team add over the last two seasons are exactly the type that Brady wants, which would be as baffling a turn of events as it would be frustrating.<\/p>\n
In the first of our looks at the overall state of the Buffalo Bills roster, we discuss the positional group that\u2019s generated most of the conversation around this team for the last year.
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Contract Status for 2026: Signed; third year of four-year rookie contract ($2,747,525 cap hit; $5,519,208 dead-cap number)<\/p>\n
Age: 22 (23 on 5\/17\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 13 games (6 starts), 576 offensive snaps (50.88% of team total), 6 special teams snaps (1.38% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 59 targets, 38 receptions, 404 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 1 fumble, 2 punt returns, 8 punt return yards<\/p>\n
Buffalo\u2019s top choice in the 2024 NFL Draft had a disastrous second season, which was marred by drops, immaturity, and discipline stemming from tardiness to meetings. Coleman was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this past season, and co-owner Terry Pegula set off a firestorm by saying that Coleman was the choice of the coaching staff, not general manager Brandon Beane, during the team\u2019s season-ending press conference where the two top executives discussed former head coach Sean McDermott\u2019s firing.<\/p>\n
After the initial firestorm, though, the team has reiterated its commitment to Coleman\u2019s development, with Joe Brady going as far as to say that the best thing for Coleman\u2019s career is his hiring as head coach. Buffalo doesn\u2019t necessarily need Coleman to have an Eric Moulds-style third-year breakout, though a 67-catch, 1,368-yard season would be fantastic. What they need from Coleman is consistency across the board, which goes for his play on the field and his approach off it.<\/p>\n
Coleman is a willing blocker, and he\u2019s shown the ability to make some big plays at times. With the Bills all but certain to reshape the receiver room this offseason, the 2026 season looms as a make-or-break campaign for Coleman with Buffalo.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; first year of four-year, $53.058 million extension ($6.792 million cap hit; $17.512 million dead-cap number)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 16 games (10 starts), 635 offensive snaps (56.1% of team total), 40 special teams snaps (9.22% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 95 targets, 72 receptions, 719 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 1 fumble, 1 carry, 5 rushing yards, 16 punt returns, 124 punt return yards (7.8 YPR)<\/p>\n
Buffalo\u2019s de facto top wide receiver spent much of his time running routes at or behind the line of scrimmage, and while Shakir was effective in the role, it felt as if he was limited artificially by play calling. This was the second-straight season Shakir led the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, but his average depth of target dropped from 5.5 yards to 3.7 yards this season. It was worse in the playoffs, as Shakir\u2019s average depth of target in two postseason games this past season was just 2.1 yards per target.<\/p>\n
The Bills must find ways to ensure that ball is in Shakir\u2019s hands, but they should also be able to scheme more creative options for him to attack downfield. Shakir has developed into a high-quality option out of the slot, but the Bills need to focus on finding help on the outside to give teams less reason to bracket him in the middle. It\u2019s difficult sledding when your passing game\u2019s two top targets are both middle-of-the-field style players, and while Shakir has some outside versatility, he really is best utilized as a slot option.<\/p>\n
Shakir is a great baseline option to build the receiving group around, but there\u2019s no reason why the Bills should settle for him being their best overall receiver.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA<\/p>\n
Age: 32 (33 on 9\/25\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time w\/Bills: 5 games (2 starts), 115 offensive snaps (10.16% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 114 receiving yards<\/p>\n
On the one hand, Cooks did what he was supposed to do when the Bills acquired him. He provided a veteran presence and was a speed threat who could challenge opposing secondaries downfield. On the other hand, Cooks showed some shaky hands, as he was too often unable to haul in passes that hit him right in the hands well downfield.<\/p>\n
In the playoffs, Cooks caught a 36-yard strike in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his inability \u2014 allegedly \u2014 to haul in a similar long strike in overtime against the Denver Broncos directly led to Buffalo\u2019s demise. Do I believe Cooks caught it? Yes. Do I also believe he should have caught it with his hands, which the ball traveled through, rather than his forearms, which allowed Denver\u2019s Ja\u2019Quan McMillian to come away with the ball after rolling over on the ground? Yes.<\/p>\n
With all this said, the Bills need someone with Cooks\u2019 skillset on the roster next season. Will that person be Cooks, or will the team look to draft a player who can serve as the designated burner downfield? I\u2019d be open to retaining Cooks for an incentive-laden one-year deal, but with cap space at a premium, the Bills might be best served to allow the veteran to explore his market before making a commitment.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; final year of two-year contract ($1,078,500 cap hit; $3,500 dead cap number)<\/p>\n
Age: 26 (27 on 8\/18\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 17 games (9 starts), 241 special teams snaps (55.53% of team total), 441 offensive snaps (38.96% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 23 targets, 15 receptions, 245 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 2 special teams tackles<\/p>\n
Shavers had a breakout season, earning consistent playing time both on special teams and on offense for the first time in his career. Long considered to be a diamond in the rough, Shavers proved invaluable as a blocker, working in tandem with tight ends and offensive tackles to clear space on the outside for running back James Cook III.<\/p>\n
When given chances as a pass-catcher, which is ostensibly his primary job description, Shavers made the most of his opportunities. Shavers\u2019 big game came in November against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he caught four passes for 90 yards and his second career touchdown.<\/p>\n
A torn ACL in the Wild Card victory over Jacksonville will almost certainly cause him to miss time during the 2026 season, so he likely won\u2019t be able to build off his play in 2025 until at least halfway through next season.<\/p>\n
As great a story as he was, though, there is zero reason why Buffalo should have Shavers lining up as WR3 in terms of snaps. He\u2019s a great blocker, sure, and he showed glimpses as a contested-catch guy, but the Bills need to be better at outside receiver. Shavers will be on the 90-man roster, and he\u2019ll likely start the year on the PUP list. I wouldn\u2019t count on much from him next season.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 6 games (5 starts), 238 offensive snaps (21.02% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 18 targets, 12 receptions, 129 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown<\/p>\n
Truthfully, the state of Buffalo\u2019s receiver room can be summed up in a sentence: Gabe Davis came back from a knee injury, came off the practice squad, and instantly was one of the team\u2019s more valuable players at the position. That shows the dearth of talent Buffalo had in its receiver room in 2025, and while Davis is by no means a scrub, he\u2019s not someone who Buffalo should rely on for big snaps in a championship window.<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019 ACL tear makes it likely that he\u2019s going to begin next season as a free agent, but it wouldn\u2019t be the worst idea for the Bills to keep him close by while he rehabs his injury. The team can do much, much worse than Davis on their practice squad, and if Buffalo tries to upgrade the position next year only to have the injury bug strike, Davis at least has a strong rapport with Josh Allen.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of three-year contract ($11.850 million cap hit; $11.2 million dead-cap number)<\/p>\n
Age: 26 (27 on 9\/22\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 12 games (8 starts), 393 offensive snaps (39.72% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 37 targets, 23 receptions, 303 receiving yards<\/p>\n
The problem with shopping in the bargain bin during free agency is that the deals are rarely ever bargains, and they\u2019re much more likely to look disastrous when they don\u2019t work. Palmer\u2019s middling production with the Los Angeles Chargers didn\u2019t stop fans \u2014 myself included \u2014 from projecting a step forward with Buffalo, and Palmer\u2019s injury-riddled 2025 season was a mess by any objective measure.<\/p>\n
Could Palmer have gone on to a better season had he not suffered an ankle injury during Buffalo\u2019s loss to the Atlanta Falcons early in the season? Perhaps, but given that Palmer has played a full season just once in his five-year career, we shouldn\u2019t have been surprised that he missed time this year.<\/p>\n
Did the Bills mismanage his injury by not placing him on Injured Reserve (IR) following the initial issue? That\u2019s also a possibility, as Palmer eventually ended up on IR at season\u2019s end thanks to lingering ankle issues. With his cap hit set to balloon this season, Palmer\u2019s contract is already a sunk cost, so it\u2019s likely that the Bills will keep him and hope for improvement. \u201cHope\u201d can\u2019t be the strategy here, though, so the team should bring in legitimate competition.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA<\/p>\n
Age: 27 (28 on 3\/12\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 2 games, 9 special teams snaps (2.07% of team total), 4 offensive snaps (.35% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 1 target, 1 kickoff return, 61 kickoff return yards, 2 punt returns, 4 punt return yards, 1 fumble<\/p>\n
The Bills knew they needed speed at the receiver position, and before they added the veteran Cooks, they signed Mecole Hardman Jr. to the practice squad. In his first action with the team, however, Hardman suffered an injury, which led to the Bills placing him on IR.<\/p>\n
Hardman adds a true speed element to the receiver room, and he is a dangerous punt returner and kickoff returner. He even scored a touchdown in the playoffs, catching a four-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter to put the Bills ahead 7-3 in their season-ending loss to the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n
He signed a non-guaranteed reserve\/future contract, so he\u2019ll at least be in Buffalo through the summer. That\u2019s a smart move. Similar to Gabe Davis, the Bills could do a lot worse than Hardman at the bottom of the depth chart, and he could fight for a roster spot based on his special teams ability alone next season.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; final year of three-year contract ($9.725 million cap hit; $3.45 million dead-cap number)<\/p>\n
Age: 29 (30 on 8\/11\/2026)<\/p>\n
Playing Time: 6 games, 151 offensive snaps (13.34% of team total), 26 special teams snaps (5.99% of team total)<\/p>\n
Key Statistics: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 81 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 9 kickoff returns, 223 kickoff return yards (24.8 YPR)<\/p>\n
I\u2019m trying to think of a Bills free-agent signing that has been less impactful than Samuel, and I\u2019m struggling to come up with one right now. In his two seasons with Buffalo, Samuel has seen just 55 targets in 20 games. He\u2019s caught 38 passes for 334 yards and two scores. In two seasons.<\/p>\n
After a strong 2024 postseason (six catches, 81 yards, two touchdowns), Samuel caught just one pass for two yards in his only playoff game this past season. Granted, he had just been activated off IR, but Samuel has been one of the least-impactful players on the roster now for two seasons.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a near-certainty that Samuel will be released, so he\u2019ll head into his age-30 season coming off two injury-plagued campaigns. The Bills will save $6.3 million by releasing him.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of three-year practice-squad deal<\/p>\n
Age: 24 (25 on 10\/21\/2026)<\/p>\n
Gosnell joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent last spring, and he caught all five of his preseason targets for 41 yards over the summer. He\u2019s unlikely to make the team next season, but if Buffalo decides that they need to upgrade their defensive personnel over their pass-catcher group, Gosnell could be someone who makes a surprise push for a WR5 spot.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a savvy route runner with decent explosiveness, and he has the size (6\u20192\u201d 198 pounds) to operate from multiple areas in the offense.<\/p>\n
Contract Status for 2026: Signed one-year reserve\/future contract ($1.075 million cap hit; no dead cap if released)<\/p>\n
Age: 27 (28 on 7\/13\/2026)<\/p>\n
After spending the offseason with the Bills, Virgil didn\u2019t make the team out of camp. He was a free agent until November before he spent a week with the Arizona Cardinals\u2019 practice squad. Virgil played the Tyrell Shavers role for Buffalo in 2024, working mostly as a special teams player and excellent run-blocker on offense.<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t offer the receiving upside Shavers does, but with Shavers expected to be sidelined well into the 2026 season thanks to an ACL injury, Virgil is good insurance as a WR6 candidate.
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Buffalo has one player \u2014 Shakir \u2014 who I\u2019d call a lock to be on the roster next season at the receiver position. That\u2019s a damning indictment on the front office considering the quarterback the team has and the length of time they have had to establish their program. Samuel is a near-lock to be released, so we aren\u2019t counting him for anything.<\/p>\n
Davis and Shavers are looking at recovery timetables that would put their ability to contribute in 2026 at all in serious doubt, but let\u2019s say they each push to the optimistic end of their timetables and can start practicing after 10 months. That puts them stepping onto the field in late November.<\/p>\n
Buffalo needs to make a decision on Keon Coleman. Is he part of the plan, or is he dangled for trade bait in a deal that brings back a bona fide top receiver? The best selling point on Coleman would be that a change of scenery could benefit him, so using him in tandem with draft choices to acquire another receiver might work out even if we wonder what kind of return someone with Coleman\u2019s lack of production would net. Of course, we could also say that Coleman is about to see a change of scenery by remaining with Buffalo given that they\u2019ve changed head coaches, so there is an argument to be made that the best in him could come out this season.<\/p>\n
The second decision the team needs to make involves Joshua Palmer. Is he someone the Bills expect to contribute this season? If so, he needs to stay. If they view him as a long-term building block, then they can restructure his contract, add three void years, and drop his 2026 cap hit to a smidge under $5 million. If they don\u2019t want to be connected to Palmer for that many seasons, then the team can also release him and designate him as a post-June 1 release. That will free up a little over $5 million to be used after that June 1 deadline, spreading his $11 million cap hit over two seasons.<\/p>\n
The Bills also need to decide whether Brandin Cooks\u2019 audition with the club merits a second act. There were missteps, but it looked as if he and Josh Allen were starting to find some rhythm as the season came to a close. Would Cooks accept a one-year deal at the veteran\u2019s minimum to make another run at winning a Lombardi Trophy with Buffalo, or will he move on to another contender whom he deems closer to winning the ultimate prize? Would the Bills even want to re-sign Cooks?<\/p>\n
Buffalo needs to invest at receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft, and I\u2019d look at adding two players, not just one, with higher choices. A seventh-round throw-away isn\u2019t what the Bills need. I also don\u2019t think they need another player described as \u201cbig-bodied who\u2019s open even when he\u2019s covered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffalo has tried time and again with players of that type, and whether we\u2019re talking about Kelvin Benjamin, Duke Williams, or Keon Coleman, Josh Allen hasn\u2019t clicked with any of them. Allen needs separators like Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Khalil Shakir, and Cole Beasley. Those are the players Buffalo and their quarterback have found success with over the last seven seasons.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, I\u2019m looking at players who don\u2019t necessarily fit the physical profile I\u2019d usually look for in a receiver. Zachariah Branch out of Georgia, for example, or KC Concepcion out of Texas A&M are twitchy speed-burners known for tight route running. If they\u2019re too small for you, I could be sold on someone like Chris Brazzell II from Tennessee, whose 6\u20195\u201d frame mixes quite well with his long-striding speed and solid route-running. UCONN\u2019s Skylar Bell is another player who fits the Bills, so to speak, as he provides homerun speed and shifty RAC function.<\/p>\n
In terms of veteran free agents, it\u2019s going to be hard to spend money wisely here given the need to rebuild the defense for a scheme shift. There are some players who could help at the back end of the roster \u2014 think Jahan Dotson, TuTu Atwell, Calvin Austin types \u2014 but there are also some mid-range targets like Romeo Doubs, Christian Kirk, and Kendrick Bourne who might fit your fancy a bit better.<\/p>\n
If the Bills are going to add a legitimate game-changer at receiver, it\u2019ll likely come through the draft or a trade. Otherwise, they\u2019re hoping for different results from the same strategy they\u2019ve explored the last two seasons. Given how poor the results have been with regard to bringing in mid-tier free agents, I\u2019m wary of them repeating that strategy.<\/p>\n
In short, the Bills need a talent infusion here \u2014 again \u2014 if they want to take the next step towards winning a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Buffalo Bills went into the 2025 NFL season with a clear need at wide receiver. Truthfully, they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":766393,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,5205,1622,2091,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-766392","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalo-bills-depth-chart","12":"tag-buffalo-bills-opinion","13":"tag-buffalo-bills-roster","14":"tag-buffalobills","15":"tag-football","16":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116107692359630426","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=766392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/766392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/766393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}