Latest Khalil Shakir injury update has Bills fans worried about the season

Wide receiver Khalil Shakir recently sustained an injury in practice, and the update from the Buffalo Bills has fans concerned about the veteran receiver.
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir cuts upfield for yards after the catch during position drills during day five of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Monday, July 28, 2025 in Pittsford, NY.
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir cuts upfield for yards after the catch during position drills during day five of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Monday, July 28, 2025 in Pittsford, NY. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The preseason hasn’t even started yet and Buffalo Bills fans are already worried about how injuries will affect the team this season. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir pulled up with a lower-body injury during Friday’s practice, leaving everyone concerned. Fortunately, it’s not an injury that’s expected to sideline him long term. The Bills announced on Sunday that Shakir has a sprained ankle and is officially week to week.

Ankle sprains could definitely sideline players for an extended period of time, considering the severity, but with the regular season five weeks away, there’s optimism Shakir will be back in time for Week 1. However, fans are afraid this ankle sprain could develop into a nagging issue the veteran receiver will have to deal with all season.

Bills say Khalil Shakir is week to week with an ankle sprain

Again, ankle sprains are a tricky injury where return timetables all depend on the severity. Some players sustain ankle sprains they can play on and others sustain the kind that result in being sidelined six weeks. The hope, of course, is that Shakir’s recovery is on the shorter end. Additionally, whenever he’s back, hopefully the injury will be completely behind him, and not something he has to manage throughout the season— especially late in the year when the stakes are high.

Entering year four of his career, Shakir is coming off a season where he led the Bills in receptions and receiving yards with 76 catches and 821 yards. He also added four receiving touchdowns. While Buffalo is hoping to see a big development from second-year receiver Keon Coleman, Shakir is still considered the top guy until proven otherwise.

That's why Buffalo needs him to be healthy and on the field. In the meantime, the Bills will rely on Coleman, Joshua Palmer, and the other receivers that make up the unit.

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