The 2025 Buffalo Bills had a major issue at wide receiver, and the 2026 Bills might have the same problem. Though the majority of their wide receiver corps is under contract, Buffalo needs better play than they had this season.
Free agency marks the first major opportunity to upgrade at this critical position, but the class is subpar. This list marks the best there is to offer, unfortunately.
Genuine WR improvements Buffalo Bills can entertain this offseason
There are exceedingly few players on the market this offseason who would be significant improvements for the Bills. The ones that make the cut are divided between good players commanding elite money or veterans who may have good football left in them.
The former, highlighted by George Pickens, Romeo Doubs, and Alec Pierce, is a dubious top group. Of the crew, Pickens is the best WR, but has a host of issues; the type Buffalo already dealt with in Stefon Diggs. Perhaps he's worth it. Undoubtedly, he's the best talent currently available via free agency.
Alec Pierce is another of the best available, but may not even make it to free agency. He's highly coveted by the Colts and could be retained. Romeo Doubs is of a similar situation. Neither makes spending top dollar seem a worthwhile investment.
Which brings us to the next level. Mike Evans, DeAndre Hopkins, and Jauan Jennings are three solid veterans who can bring high-level competence to the Bills' offense. Evans and Hopkins are both proven to be elite receivers past their prime, but they can add a level to the passing game that is lacking at the moment.
Jennings has a future still, coming off a 975-yard season in 2024 and a 9-TD season in 2025. Regardless, he's not found a fit to play the WR1 role, if he even has that in him. He's a more affordable improvement. Be cautious; That was the case with Curtis Samuel and Joshua Palmer, too.
The issue is that top-tier wide receivers are few and far between- This offseason even moreso than usual. It may be more reasonable to retain any talent set to leave the Bills this March and let improvements happen through training camp. Brandin Cooks would be a prime example of that kind of move.
Usable Talent
There are still a lot of solid players hitting the market, despite so little top-end talent. These are all receivers who can work for Buffalo, but none of whom will win a true WR1 role. They are improvements, but not needle-movers.
Finding solid role players who could help elevate the passing offense with Josh Allen is critical. There are examples out there: the Giants' Wan'Dale Robinson, the Seahawks' Rashid Shaheed, and the Chiefs' Marquise Brown. Any of these three could bring another level to the Bills, at the cost of removing someone already on the depth chart. They all offer great ability to contribute as returners, and better-than-gadget play as true WRs. Buffalo already has a good returner in Ray Davis, so these players are limited to just their receiving role.
As with the first group, this level is two-tiered. Here are veterans who can contribute but not feature, and still have a skillset Buffalo can use. None of them are effective long-term WRs, but band-aid solutions to a problem that will be easier to fix in the 2027 offseason. Deebo Samuel, Keenan Allen, and Tyler Lockett are all examples of this sort of addition.
The 12 players already mentioned make up the vast majority of talent in this class. It's a limited group in number, but also in ceiling. The double-edged sword of it all is that any player signed this offseason inevitably sets a market value more than their true worth. If the Bills sign any of these players to long-term deals, it will be at a significant cost, likely outweighing their on-field impact. For players with a chance to beat that, the Bills have to turn to the draft.
Rosterable Players
The list of improvements is already at an end. The rest of this list notes only those left who would be sufficiently rosterable on the 2026 Buffalo Bills. It's an uncomfortable thought that the 2026 Bills could have an even less talented WR corps than the 2025 Bills. It is also highly possible.
There is an assortment of players who should crack that roster, but these are simply the most likely. Christian Kirk and JuJu Smith-Schuster are usable players who can crack the fringes of the Bills roster. Unfortunately, they already have several players of similar prestige. Inconsistent young players with some notoriety, like Treylon Burks and Jalen Nailor, are plentiful and potentially worth putting a one-year deal on.
There are special teams aces like Calvin Austin or Gunner Olszewski across the NFL. They're not flashy, but they could be bottom-roster contributors in 2026 and beyond.