The Buffalo Bills added a “dude” to their wide receiver group this year after trying to spend the better part of the last two seasons hoping that the whole of the receiving corps would be greater than the sum of its parts. They acknowledged that they needed an alpha type at the trade deadline during the 2024 NFL season when they added Amari Cooper, and then they tried to skate by with a subpar grouping last season.
While the offense still put up plenty of points thanks to a superhuman at quarterback,
the team definitely recognized that they need help at wideout. Adding to the top of the group wasn’t the only thing tey did, though, as the team also added veteran pieces to try to raise the floor of the positional grouping.
In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a veteran wideout looking to stick with the club in his second go-round with Buffalo.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: Jalen Virgil
Number: 87
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6’1” 210 lbs.
Age: 27 (28 on 7/13/2026)
Experience/Draft: 4; signed with the Denver Broncos following the 2022 NFL Draft
College: Appalachian State
Acquired: Signed reserve/futures contract with Bills on 2/10/2026
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Virgil signed a one-year deal worth $1.075 million overall. That number also represents the cap hit he’ll carry if he makes the 53-man roster. There are no guarantees on the contract, so Buffalo can release him at any point and avoid carrying a dead cap charge.
2025 Recap: Virgil spent the offseason and training camp with Buffalo. He appeared in one preseason game, but a hamstring injury prevented him from playing in any more exhibition contests. Buffalo placed him on injured reserve on August 14, and they released him with an injury settlement on August 22. He remained without a team until November, when the Arizona Cardinals signed him to their practice squad on November 12. He was released from the practice squad on November 19, and he remained unsigned in the NFL for the rest of the regular season. He was drafted to the UFL’s DC Defenders on January 14, though, and he was subsequently released without playing a game. Buffalo signed him to a reserve/futures contract on February 10.
Positional outlook: Virgil is one of 14 wideouts on the current roster. Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, DJ Moore, Joshua Palmer, Mecole Hardman Jr., Trent Sherfield Sr., Ja’Mori Maclin, Mac Dalena, Max Tomczak, Skyler Bell, Tyrell Shavers, Stephen Gosnell, and Deven Thompkins are the others.
2026 Offseason: Virgil has participated in offseason work to date.
2026 Season outlook: Virgil has a lot going for him in his quest to make Buffalo’s 53-man roster. He is familiar with head coach Joe Brady’s offense given that he played seven games for the Bills in 2024 when Brady was the offensive coordinator. He does the dirty work on special teams. He’s also not only a willing blocker, but an asset to the running game on the outside. Truthfully, he does all of the things that made the Bills coaching staff and fans alike fall in love with Tyrell Shavers, who made the team last year for the first time.
The one thing Virgil doesn’t do as well as Shavers, though, is catch the football, and that’s a bit of an issue given that a receiver’s primary is job is, well, to catch the football. Shavers would have a guaranteed spot on the team if not for a January ACL tear, but since he isn’t expected to be ready until at least late into the season, it does open up a potential spot for a veteran, gritty wideout. Virgil and Sherfield are my votes for the most likely player to be that sixth wideout, as they both have experience in a special teams-heavy role with Buffalo, and they both have experience in the offense, as well.
If we assume that Shakir, Moore, Coleman, Palmer, and Bell are the likeliest top five in the receiver room, then that sixth spot, if they even keep six, has to go to someone who is strong on special teams. There’s quite a bit that can happen between now and September—the Bills could trade Coleman or Palmer, for example, and someone could also suffer an injury—but barring something out of left field, I think that the Bills will keep six wideouts, and Virgil will be that sixth guy. His experience on special teams plus his success as a blocker when pressed into duty on offense give him a leg up on some of his younger counterparts.
