One of the biggest things that is crucial for any team to have success in the NFL is to make their quarterback as comfortable as possible. We see quarterbacks fail all the time for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’s coaching instability, lack of talent around him, or maybe they just don’t pan out at all.
Luckily for the Buffalo Bills, they avoided those scenarios with Josh Allen who has established himself as one of, if not the best quarterback in the league. He’s had countless weapons around him that have helped him grow as a passer. However, even though things ended rocky with him, it was Stefon Diggs that helped Allen grow the most.
The Bills didn’t need Diggs anymore for a variety of reasons which resulted in them trading him to the Houston Texans. That left a huge hole in the receiver room. However, fans outside of Buffalo clearly didn’t know who Khalil Shakir was but he was able to introduce himself as Josh Allen’s go-to guy this season.
Once Joe Brady took over the offense in the middle of the 2023 season, Shakir started to become heavily involved with the Bills’ offense. He had his breakout game in Week 11 against the New York Jets with 115 yards and a touchdown. He then caught all six of his targeted passes against the Miami Dolphins for 105 yards that helped the Bills steal the AFC East away for the fourth straight time.
Shakir would then set career records in targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns this past season. On average, Shakir is catching over 75% of passes thrown his way which is unbelievable. He’s been a safety blanket for Allen and the Bills have to do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t leave after 2025.
Khalil Shakir is a crucial weapon for Josh Allen
Remember when the Bills had Cole Beasely in the slot for Allen, and it helped him become more efficient in the smaller part of the field? That’s where Shakir can be a valuable asset for this offense beyond 2025. Taking away a reliable weapon would only hurt Allen and the offense. Shakir has outworked his fifth-round draft status by not just being a great route runner, but almost never dropping any passes.
The only problem with the setup of getting Shakir extended is that he is coming from the same Bills draft class that has James Cook, Terrel Bernard and Christian Benford. Brandon Beane is going to have make some tough choices.