Training Camp: The Buffalo Bills wide receiver room run-down

The Buffalo Bills have had an offseason nothing short of tumultuous. From the immense turnover in their secondary to the notable changes in staff, the roster has been battered with fresh questions. One remains chief amongst them; What's up with their receiving core?

It's not unreasonable to ask- Perhaps no greater query will dominate the Bills' media landscape as the season fast approaches. Losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, as well as others, makes for as blank a slate as we've seen in the Josh Allen era. In total, 2,462 offensive snaps at WR are unaccounted for from 2023 (per Pro Football Reference). So, what's next? In a newly installed offense featuring a young stud tight end taking part of the limelight, how do these receivers fit in? After a week of training camp, we finally have some insight.

The Tip Of The Iceberg

Curtis Samuel - 5'11 195lbs

We'll begin in the most obvious place, with the lone major signing of Buffalo's free agency frenzy. Curtis Samuel's acquisition made infinitely more sense following the departure of Stefon Diggs than prior to it, as the receiver room maintains some veteran leadership and brings versatile talent to what could be a rather one-dimensional room outside of him.

Samuel is one of the smallest players in the room. What he lacks in dominating size, he delivers in mobility and speed. An incredibly capable runner with great vision, he's expected to contribute out of the backfield as well as from all receiver alignments. Newly-installed Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said as much prior to training camp and, from what we've seen, he meant it.

From day one, Curtis Samuel has been worked into the offense often, at all levels and in many positions and roles. It's become clear that Brady has a plan for him and is getting him submerged quickly. As a result, Samuel has made impressive plays almost every day so far. Taking handoffs, shifting across the entire offense prior to snaps, and getting targets from any and all alignments. The idea that 'everybody eats' in this offense may be true but expect Joe Brady to lean on Samuel, who had his best career year under Brady in Carolina, early and often this season.

Keon Coleman - 6'4 - 215lbs

Keon Coleman was not somebody who everyone was sold on coming out of the draft. Whilst there's no doubt his winning personality has been effective, it didn't draw away from initial concerns about his ability to be impactful right away. Namely, his straight-line speed and route-running needed work, but he's since immediately shown his game speed in camp. Coleman seems to have a knack for getting open and making the contested catches, as evidenced by highlight reel after highlight reel. From the jump he's been making plays, displaying freakish athleticism, surprising shift, and the toughness and focus to make the difficult catches in traffic.

The difficult part for Keon is fitting him into a brand-new offense that already has two starting-calibre receivers in Samuel and Shakir, and a physical threat in Dalton Kincaid, the expected focal point of the offense this season. Though camp has been nothing short of electric for Coleman, and his connection with Josh Allen has been growing, we should temper any early-season expectations for now. He's still a raw prospect in need of work, and he's entering an offense being freshly installed. Veterans with greater familiarity to Brady are going to start the season. Keon Coleman's flowers will come, but don't be surprised when they're a step late.

Khalil Shakir - 6'0 - 190lbs

The lone devil-we-know, Khalil Shakir has been consistent throughout training camp. but also hasn't been featured much so far. Perhaps due to his status as the incumbent WR3, Shakir is familiar to Allen and Brady in a way the others aren't yet. It may be this familiarity that has led to prioritizing those he is expected to start over- There's simply more work to be done there. But to approach this team's offense with fresh eyes unburdened by the knowledge of who the Buffalo Bills were, Shakir seems like what he was in 2023. A slot guy, taking almost 70% of his snaps from there.

But we are not unburdened. The second half of last season gave us much to work with. Shakir's role in this offense will be significant; He left last season with a league-best 0% drop rate, per PFR. He was and remains one of the league's most efficient and consistent receivers. Buffalo could do a lot worse for their plausible WR2/3. If we assume his role doesn't change, Buffalo would surely be pleased with the same 49 catches, 686 yards, and four touchdowns from the fourth projected pass-catcher on the team. But the floor is wide open, and Shakir has a great chance to prove he's capable of more.