The Buffalo Bills had a wide receiver problem last season. In short, they didn’t have a player who profiles as a true “alpha” in the receiver room. Sure, they had some good players, but most football people viewed those players as good pieces, not true game-wreckers who can thrive regardless of the situation or defense they face.
Is that underselling Buffalo’s top wideout for the last two seasons? Perhaps it is; however, just from a statistical standpoint, that “top” wideout wouldn’t have been the top guy
in nearly every other top-flight passing offense in the NFL. What he was asked to do in terms of his route tree also seemed to be a limiting factor. Was that a design flaw, or a product of having a rough supporting cast?
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss the man who has been Buffalo’s top wideout over the last two seasons.
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Name: Khalil Shakir
Number: 10
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6’ 190 lbs.
Age: 26 (27 on 2/3/2027)
Experience/Draft: 5; selected by Buffalo in the fifth round (No. 148 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft
College: Boise State
Acquired: Fifth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): This season marks the first year of Shakir’s four-year, $52.866 million extension that he signed in February 2025. His cap hit for this season is $6.792 million. If Buffalo releases him, they’ll carry a dead cap charge of $25.796 million.
2025 Recap: Shakir once again slotted in—literally and figuratively—as Buffalo’s top wideout, and he once again led the team in nearly every receiving category. He played in one more game last season than he did in 2024 despite suffering a high ankle sprain in Buffalo’s Return of the Blue and Red scrimmage. In fact, Shakir missed no game time due to that sprain, as he returned to practice ahead of Buffalo’s Week One win over the Baltimore Ravens and played in that game. The only game he missed was the regular-season finale, and he sat alongside multiple other starters as Buffalo rested ahead of their Wild Card date with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Shakir led the team in targets (95), receptions (72), and receiving yards (719). Dalton Kincaid led the team with five receiving touchdowns, but Shakir was second with four. In the playoffs, Shakir was once again quarterback Josh Allen’s go-to guy, leading the team by a wide margin in targets (21), receptions (19), and receiving yards (157). Shakir also was used as a punt returner at multiple points throughout the season. In the regular season, Shakir returned 16 punts and averaged 7.8 yards per return. Both totals led the Bills. He did not return a punt in the postseason, but he was back there to do so a few times; he fair caught a punt in Buffalo’s 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Throughout the season, Shakir was used mainly at or near the line of scrimmage, as his average depth of target was the lowest among all wideouts who saw at least 50 targets last year. Shakir averaged just 3.8 yards per target.
Positional outlook: Shakir is one of fourteen wideouts on the current roster. Mac Dalena, Ja’Mori Maclin, Max Tomczak, Stephen Gosnell, Mecole Hardman Jr., Trent Sherfield, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Skyler Bell, DJ Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Quentin Skinner, and Dante Pettis are the others.
2026 Offseason: Shakir is healthy, and he’s already looking like he might have a different, more diverse role this season. He’s been used much more downfield in practices so far.
2026 Season outlook: Maybe I’m crazy, but I think that the addition of DJ Moore will actually help Shakir’s production this season, not harm it. Sure, he might not see 100 targets—especially if tight end Dalton Kincaid can actually stay healthy—but Shakir will likely see more passes in downfield areas. Yes, he’s excellent at handling screen passes and turning them into long gains, but he’s also an adept route runner who has plenty of untapped downfield upside. In a more diverse role, he could come closer to his 2023 production where he averaged 16.8 yards per reception. Not coincidentally, that was the last season that the Bills had a true alpha in the receivier room in Stefon Diggs.
Shakir is a phenomenal wideout, and if he fills the proper role, he could help any offense be better. He’s been miscast over the last two seasons as the top dog in Buffalo’s passing attack. Adding Moore will help him to improve, and if the Bills can also limit his use on punt returns by deploying someone they can trust to handle the gig, it will also help keep Shakir out of harm’s way with more unnecessary snaps. Again, Shakir is a good punt returner, and if he did it more consistently, I think he might even be able to be great at it. However, I don’t think it’s a good use of resources for the Bills to have their WR2 exposing himself to more hits on special teams if they can avoid it.
Look for Shakir to continue doing plenty of damage on short passes and screens this season, but don’t be surprised when he sees more downfield targets, either. He’s a legitimate threat at all three levels of the defense, and I’m excited to see his next level unlocked.
