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 — 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.
So, after Cooper wasn’t 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’s 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.
It’s 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’s 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’s also entirely possible that the types of receivers that we’ve 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.
In the first of our looks at the overall state of the Buffalo Bills roster, we discuss the positional group that’s generated most of the conversation around this team for the last year.
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Keon Coleman
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; third year of four-year rookie contract ($2,747,525 cap hit; $5,519,208 dead-cap number)
Age: 22 (23 on 5/17/2026)
Playing Time: 13 games (6 starts), 576 offensive snaps (50.88% of team total), 6 special teams snaps (1.38% of team total)
Key Statistics: 59 targets, 38 receptions, 404 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns, 1 fumble, 2 punt returns, 8 punt return yards
Buffalo’s 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’s season-ending press conference where the two top executives discussed former head coach Sean McDermott’s firing.
After the initial firestorm, though, the team has reiterated its commitment to Coleman’s development, with Joe Brady going as far as to say that the best thing for Coleman’s career is his hiring as head coach. Buffalo doesn’t 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.
Coleman is a willing blocker, and he’s 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.
Khalil Shakir
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)
Age: 25 (26 on 2/3/2026)
Playing Time: 16 games (10 starts), 635 offensive snaps (56.1% of team total), 40 special teams snaps (9.22% of team total)
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)
Buffalo’s 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’s average depth of target in two postseason games this past season was just 2.1 yards per target.
The Bills must find ways to ensure that ball is in Shakir’s 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’s difficult sledding when your passing game’s 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.
Shakir is a great baseline option to build the receiving group around, but there’s no reason why the Bills should settle for him being their best overall receiver.
Brandin Cooks
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 32 (33 on 9/25/2026)
Playing Time w/Bills: 5 games (2 starts), 115 offensive snaps (10.16% of team total)
Key Statistics: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 114 receiving yards
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.
In the playoffs, Cooks caught a 36-yard strike in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his inability — allegedly — to haul in a similar long strike in overtime against the Denver Broncos directly led to Buffalo’s 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’s Ja’Quan McMillian to come away with the ball after rolling over on the ground? Yes.
With all this said, the Bills need someone with Cooks’ 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’d 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.
Tyrell Shavers
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; final year of two-year contract ($1,078,500 cap hit; $3,500 dead cap number)
Age: 26 (27 on 8/18/2026)
Playing Time: 17 games (9 starts), 241 special teams snaps (55.53% of team total), 441 offensive snaps (38.96% of team total)
Key Statistics: 23 targets, 15 receptions, 245 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 2 special teams tackles
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.
When given chances as a pass-catcher, which is ostensibly his primary job description, Shavers made the most of his opportunities. Shavers’ big game came in November against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he caught four passes for 90 yards and his second career touchdown.
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’t be able to build off his play in 2025 until at least halfway through next season.
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’s 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’ll likely start the year on the PUP list. I wouldn’t count on much from him next season.
Gabe Davis
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 26 (27 on 4/1/2026)
Playing Time: 6 games (5 starts), 238 offensive snaps (21.02% of team total)
Key Statistics: 18 targets, 12 receptions, 129 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Truthfully, the state of Buffalo’s 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’s 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’s not someone who Buffalo should rely on for big snaps in a championship window.
Davis’ ACL tear makes it likely that he’s going to begin next season as a free agent, but it wouldn’t 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.
Joshua Palmer
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of three-year contract ($11.850 million cap hit; $11.2 million dead-cap number)
Age: 26 (27 on 9/22/2026)
Playing Time: 12 games (8 starts), 393 offensive snaps (39.72% of team total)
Key Statistics: 37 targets, 23 receptions, 303 receiving yards
The problem with shopping in the bargain bin during free agency is that the deals are rarely ever bargains, and they’re much more likely to look disastrous when they don’t work. Palmer’s middling production with the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t stop fans — myself included — from projecting a step forward with Buffalo, and Palmer’s injury-riddled 2025 season was a mess by any objective measure.
Could Palmer have gone on to a better season had he not suffered an ankle injury during Buffalo’s 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’t have been surprised that he missed time this year.
Did the Bills mismanage his injury by not placing him on Injured Reserve (IR) following the initial issue? That’s also a possibility, as Palmer eventually ended up on IR at season’s end thanks to lingering ankle issues. With his cap hit set to balloon this season, Palmer’s contract is already a sunk cost, so it’s likely that the Bills will keep him and hope for improvement. “Hope” can’t be the strategy here, though, so the team should bring in legitimate competition.
Mecole Hardman Jr.
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 27 (28 on 3/12/2026)
Playing Time: 2 games, 9 special teams snaps (2.07% of team total), 4 offensive snaps (.35% of team total)
Key Statistics: 1 target, 1 kickoff return, 61 kickoff return yards, 2 punt returns, 4 punt return yards, 1 fumble
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.
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.
He signed a non-guaranteed reserve/future contract, so he’ll at least be in Buffalo through the summer. That’s 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.
Curtis Samuel
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; final year of three-year contract ($9.725 million cap hit; $3.45 million dead-cap number)
Age: 29 (30 on 8/11/2026)
Playing Time: 6 games, 151 offensive snaps (13.34% of team total), 26 special teams snaps (5.99% of team total)
Key Statistics: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 81 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 9 kickoff returns, 223 kickoff return yards (24.8 YPR)
I’m trying to think of a Bills free-agent signing that has been less impactful than Samuel, and I’m struggling to come up with one right now. In his two seasons with Buffalo, Samuel has seen just 55 targets in 20 games. He’s caught 38 passes for 334 yards and two scores. In two seasons.
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.
It’s a near-certainty that Samuel will be released, so he’ll head into his age-30 season coming off two injury-plagued campaigns. The Bills will save $6.3 million by releasing him.
Stephen Gosnell
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of three-year practice-squad deal
Age: 24 (25 on 10/21/2026)
Playing Time: NA
Key Statistics: NA
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’s 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.
He’s a savvy route runner with decent explosiveness, and he has the size (6’2” 198 pounds) to operate from multiple areas in the offense.
Jalen Virgil
Contract Status for 2026: Signed one-year reserve/future contract ($1.075 million cap hit; no dead cap if released)
Age: 27 (28 on 7/13/2026)
Playing Time w/Bills: NA
Key Statistics: NA
After spending the offseason with the Bills, Virgil didn’t make the team out of camp. He was a free agent until November before he spent a week with the Arizona Cardinals’ 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.
He doesn’t 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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Final Thoughts
Buffalo has one player — Shakir — who I’d call a lock to be on the roster next season at the receiver position. That’s 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’t counting him for anything.
Davis and Shavers are looking at recovery timetables that would put their ability to contribute in 2026 at all in serious doubt, but let’s 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.
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’s 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’ve changed head coaches, so there is an argument to be made that the best in him could come out this season.
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’t 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.
The Bills also need to decide whether Brandin Cooks’ 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’s 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?
Buffalo needs to invest at receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft, and I’d look at adding two players, not just one, with higher choices. A seventh-round throw-away isn’t what the Bills need. I also don’t think they need another player described as “big-bodied who’s open even when he’s covered.”
Buffalo has tried time and again with players of that type, and whether we’re talking about Kelvin Benjamin, Duke Williams, or Keon Coleman, Josh Allen hasn’t 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.
With that in mind, I’m looking at players who don’t necessarily fit the physical profile I’d 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’re too small for you, I could be sold on someone like Chris Brazzell II from Tennessee, whose 6’5” frame mixes quite well with his long-striding speed and solid route-running. UCONN’s Skylar Bell is another player who fits the Bills, so to speak, as he provides homerun speed and shifty RAC function.
In terms of veteran free agents, it’s 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 — think Jahan Dotson, TuTu Atwell, Calvin Austin types — but there are also some mid-range targets like Romeo Doubs, Christian Kirk, and Kendrick Bourne who might fit your fancy a bit better.
If the Bills are going to add a legitimate game-changer at receiver, it’ll likely come through the draft or a trade. Otherwise, they’re hoping for different results from the same strategy they’ve explored the last two seasons. Given how poor the results have been with regard to bringing in mid-tier free agents, I’m wary of them repeating that strategy.
In short, the Bills need a talent infusion here — again — if they want to take the next step towards winning a Super Bowl.
