The Buffalo Bills did not have a great receiver group last season. If people like ESPN’s Bill Barnwell are to be believed, the team’s receiving corps is still bad this season despite adding DJ Moore via trade and Skyler Bell via a fourth-round draft pick.
Does this lack of talent at the receiver position mean that some unheralded names will make the team this year? In today’s installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss a receiver who would love for that to be the case. _____________________________________________________________________________
Name: Stephen Gosnell
Number: 89
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6’1″, 198 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 10/22/2026)
Experience/Draft: 1; signed with Buffalo following the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Virginia Tech
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Gosnell signed a reserve/future contract at the conclusion of the 2025 NFL season. That two-year deal is worth $1,943,500 in total. If Gosnell makes the 53-man roster, he’ll count $889,250 against the salary cap. If Buffalo releases him, they will carry a dead-cap hit of $8,500 for the season.
2025 Recap: Gosnell signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent, and he spent the offseason with the team. He played in two of the team’s preseason games, catching all five of his targets for 41 yards. He did not return kicks or punts, nor did he register a tackle on special teams.
Gosnell was waived on August 26, and he signed with Buffalo’s practice squad after clearing waivers. He was not elevated to the 53-man roster for any games, and he signed a reserve/future deal with the team at the conclusion of the season.
Positional outlook: Gosnell is one of 14 wideouts on the current roster. Khalil Shakir, DJ Moore, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Mecole Hardman Jr., Trent Sherfield Sr., Jalen Virgil, Ja’Mori Maclin, Max Tomczak, Deven Thompkins, Tyrell Shavers, Skyler Bell, and Mac Dalena are the others.
2026 Offseason: Gosnell is healthy and he participated in offseason workouts before training camp.
2026 Season outlook: While three-quarters of UDFAs don’t make the team in any capacity in their first go-round in the league, Gosnell not only stuck around with the Bills on the practice squad, but he’s still with them entering his second professional season. That tells me there’s something about him that the Bills really like.
Whether it’s his agility (6.96-second three-cone drill at his Pro Day in 2025), his contested-catch potential (6’5″ wingspan, 34.5″ vertical jump, and 10′ broad jump), or his ability to play multiple spots on offense has yet to be seen. Buffalo has enough question marks at receiver that it’s certainly possible for an unknown or unexpected player to make the roster.
Tyrell Shavers battled his way onto the team after toiling as a practice squad player for years, and he also entered the league as an undrafted free agent. He and Gosnell aren’t going to be confused for one another any time soon, but their NFL journeys share plenty of similarities.
Buffalo has the patience and the ability to keep a player like Gosnell around for developmental purposes, and while it’s highly unlikely that he makes the 53-man roster this year, it’s certainly possible that he shows enough not only to rejoin the team’s practice squad, but earn a gameday elevation at some point throughout the 2026 NFL season.
Gosnell has never returned kicks or punts–at least not at the NFL or NCAA level–but if he has the chance to do so this summer, it could help him show added versatility. Buffalo has an All-Pro kickoff return man in Ray Davis, but they haven’t had a consistent punt returner since Deonte Harty in 2024. If given the chance to throw his hat into that competition, Gosnell could improve his stock by performing well. Even if he does, his odds at making the team this year are long.
