The Buffalo Bills have done a great job in addressing their wide receiver room for the 2026 NFL season. It will be interesting to see how new wide receivers coach Drew Terrell works with them in practice to have them ready for game day.
With the addition of Skyler Bell from the NFL Draft, the Bills now have a crowded receiver room, which will create competition for jobs on their roster. It could lead to trouble for two of the wide receivers ahead of OTAs.
Who will be on the 2026 roster?
The Bills' wide receiver room has gone through a notable change. To start, the team made an impactful trade for D.J. Moore. He will have a chance to show off his talents with a new receivers' coach leading the way.
If Moore is not on the Bills roster, this would go down as a colossal failure of a trade. Moore brings a wealth of experience, having tallied over 8,000 receiving yards over his eight years in the league.
Then, there's the always reliable Khalil Shakir, who is a human highlight reel while making plays in both the outside and in the slot. The experienced receiver put up 719 yards receiving in the regular season and an additional 157 yards in the postseason.
Look for Moore and Shakir to be targeted the most out of any of the wide receivers in Joe Brady's bunch.
Then there is Keon Coleman, who had a solid rookie season before missing some time with an injury. His sophomore year saw a decline, and he was not punctual at team meetings, which also cost him playing time.
Even with that, Beane and Brady still seem to think that Coleman has a football revival in his bag of tricks, as he has been working hard in the offseason to make a comeback.
In Year 2 of his big three-year payday, Palmer did not provide immediate relief to the Bills in Year 1. The poised athlete played in only 12 games, making 22 catches for 303 yards and no touchdowns. The team is hoping he can stay on the field more while scoring more touchdowns after being held to zero last year.
An old friend returns to Orchard Park as Trent Sherfield returns to the organization he was with in 2023. It happened as Joe Brady started as quarterbacks coach and was later promoted to offensive coordinator after the team fired Ken Dorsey midway through the year.
Sherfield is a big-bodied athlete with rare speed and the ability to get it done in the kick/punt return game. Plus, he is motivated to show coach Brady he really wants to run it back with the Bills by making the 53-man roster this season.
Tyrell Shavers and Mecole Hardman Jr. fighting for their jobs
Finally, there are two receivers near the bottom of the depth chart who are very talented but might miss the cut to play on the Buffalo Bills' active roster in 2026. Shavers is a big possession receiver at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds, who finally cracked the active roster in 2025 and produced despite having limited targets thrown his way.
Shavers has that dawg in him and that work ethic that Coleman still needs to improve on if he wants to be as professional as Shavers is everyday. This year, however, might be tougher for him to earn more reps, but even if he doesn't make the 53-man roster, he should go back to his familiar role on the practice squad and be ready to be called up in case of injury.
Hardman Jr. has a case to make the roster as he has the speed and ability to play special teams as a punt returner. At 5-foot-10, 187 pounds, he will probably be used a lot in the fourth quarter of all three preseason games and have all the reps he needs to showcase his ability to either make the roster or possibly join Shavers on the practice squad.
The bottom line every year is to create competition during the offseason and training camp to see which players resemble who the head coach wants on his 53-man roster. The Bills' focus on players pushing each other to better themselves while motivating their fans to believe in the team's growth.
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