Bills analysis: A former practice-squad receiver has made a strong case to make the Week 1 roster
Bills receiver Tyrell Shavers capped off a strong spring and summer by making two catches in the 31-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Will Shavers make the 53-man roster? He’s on the bubble.
Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Tyrell Shavers is a bright guy.
He got his degree in 3½ years from the University of Alabama in creative media. Then he transferred to Mississippi State for a year before going to San Diego State for his final two years of college.
He got a master’s degree from San Diego State in homeland security and conflict resolution.
“It’s two different things,” Shavers acknowledged Saturday. “But it’s 2024. Media and security – that’s pretty prominent in the world.”
Shavers will be fine when his pro football career is over. But he should not have to worry about that for a while.
Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers can’t pull in a pass thrown just out of his reach by Ben DiNucci in the first quarter against the Panthers on Saturday. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The 6-foot-4 Shavers capped a strong spring and summer by making two catches in the Bills' 31-26 exhibition loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. He also should have had an 18-yard touchdown after he got wide open in the end zone with a nifty move against Panthers cornerback Dicaprio Bootle. But quarterback Ben DiNucci overthrew him.
Will Shavers make the 53-man roster? He’s on the bubble.
“I think I did have a good summer, good OTAs, good training camp and a pretty good preseason,” Shavers said. “This was like my Super Bowl, honestly. Coming in, I knew this would be my last opportunity to show and be able to make the team.”
Last year, the Bills kept five wide receivers. In any given year, roughly half the NFL teams keep six. The top four for the Bills are Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman and Mack Hollins. Marquez Valdes-Scantling probably is assured of being No. 5. Samuel (turf toe) and Valdes-Scantling (sore neck) are battling injuries.
It looks promising for both to be ready for the season opener against Arizona. But their availability is not going to be assured when the Bills make their cuts Tuesday. That probably helps Shavers’ chances to stick, at least for Week 1.
Yet you can make a fair case that the Bills should keep Shavers as a sixth wideout regardless.
The main reason: We’re far from certain how good the top five are.
Shakir, who ascended the last half of last season, looks like a surefire asset in the slot. The Bills expect big things from the speedy Samuel, and they need him to at least match his production from Washington the past two seasons (64 and 62 catches). Coleman is promising, but instant success is far from assured for rookie receivers. MVS is coming off a 21-catch year with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shavers brings an asset – his height and length – that might translate from practice and preseason to the regular season when he’s facing starting cornerbacks. Shavers made a bunch of good catches “above the rim” both over the middle and down the sidelines in camp. He showed some good blocking against Pittsburgh.
“Being my height, there’s not many people that’s guarding me who’s my size,” Shavers said. “So being able to turn a 50-50 all into a 90-10 or an 80-20 – things like that is what I bring to the table.”
Another asset is Shavers plays special teams. He can play gunner on punt coverage and jammer (outside blocker) on punt return.
It’s something he learned to embrace at Alabama, where he had a hard time getting targets. In 2019, Shavers was in a Crimson Tide wideout room with Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs and John Metchie. It’s one of the greatest collegiate receiving corps ever. The first four all were top-15 overall picks in the NFL draft. Metchie was a second-rounder.
“Special teams is really how I got in this league,” Shavers said. “I was never a 1,000-yard receiver. Special teams is what got me in the door. I love it. I don’t feel any differently about special teams than I do offense. I look at it as another opportunity to make a play.”
The two starting gunners on punt coverage probably are Hollins and Ja’Marcus Ingram, so Shavers is on the bubble from that perspective, too.
Shavers will be a tough cut if general manager Brandon Beane doesn’t keep him.
Bills quarterback Ben DiNucci scrambles against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Extra points
- Rookie sixth-round pick Tylan Grable finished off a quality preseason at offensive tackle. Grable got lots of work – 35 snaps vs. Chicago, 34 vs. Pittsburgh and 28 vs. Carolina. He was solid in pass protection.
The 6-5 Central Florida product was a high school quarterback who started college at tight end. He put up freak numbers at the NFL combine. He looks smooth kick-sliding and staying balanced in pass-blocking.
“I’ve always considered myself a great athlete, even when I was a quarterback and now playing offensive line,” Grable said. “It’s something I pride myself on, and I believe it does help me on the field.”
- Safety Kareem Jackson played the entire first half Saturday, and the uncertain injury situation at his position may help his cause to stick on the roster. He has 193 career NFL starts, and played his first nine seasons in Houston at cornerback. Nowhere on defense is experience more important than safety. The Bills may want to use more three-safety packages because of Matt Milano’s injury, and that could make Jackson an asset, too. If Jackson is on the roster for Week 1, his season salary is guaranteed. If he is released and then signed for Week 2, the Bills can pay him week to week, which would be preferable.
