Brandon Beane has retooled the Bills' receiver room. Did he find the right mix for Josh Allen?
There is no position on the Bills’ roster, at least offensively, that has been scrutinized more than wide receiver – for good reason. Each year, finding the right mix for quarterback Josh Allen has been one of Brandon Beane's top priorities.
Joe Brady recently gave a statement about his wide receivers that seemingly defied belief.
“I have no questions about our wideouts going into the season,” the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator said.
Brady has to be the only one in Buffalo to hold that sentiment.
There is no position on the Bills’ roster, at least offensively, that has been scrutinized more than wide receiver – for good reason. Each year, finding the right mix for quarterback Josh Allen has been one of Brandon Beane's top priorities.
The question now is, has Beane done it? It is a touchy subject for the Bills' general manager, who lost his cool earlier this offseason during a radio interview when the topic came up.
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
The Bills have significantly reshaped the receiving corps. Holdovers Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel have welcomed newcomers Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore. Additionally, Tyrell Shavers made the 53-man roster out of training camp after spending the bulk of last season on the practice squad.
“Look, I love where our wideouts are, right now. I know we’ve had some injuries, but I like where we’re at,” Brady said toward the end of the preseason. “I feel good about one through eight (on the depth chart) of being able to contribute for us. All different skill sets.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to put (them) in and figure out those positions, personnel groupings, and we’ll get to the regular season for that, but I feel really good with where our wideouts are. Josh has a good comfort level with them.”
That has developed through necessity. Outside of Coleman, every other wide receiver to make the 53-man roster missed at least some time during training camp because of injuries.
That led to Allen throwing to numerous different receivers throughout camp – which the quarterback viewed as a positive.
“Guys are jumping in and stepping up when they can. As a quarterback, it can test your skills, because you're throwing to different bodies, different speeds, different movements, and that's honestly good practice, in my opinion,” he said. “I'm getting reps with everybody, so that's a cool thing is getting to throw to some guys that, maybe, I wouldn't have if things were different. It's good to see guys step up.”
With a new set of receivers, Allen has been challenged to adjust his arm slot and ball positioning when throwing to those targets. The Bills have a healthy mix of wideouts who are the shiftier side to those with bigger bodies, but they are being asked to run the same routes. For Allen, there is a difference between throwing to a target who is 5-foot-10 and to one who is 6-foot-4, like Coleman.
“You've got a lot of different guys who do a lot of different things great,” Coleman said. “With the big bodies we do have, we all can move inside, outside. We all can get involved in the blocking game, so it brings a different level of versatility. All six guys, Josh can really trust giving the ball whenever and them making a play.”
Shakir has missed the most time after suffering a high ankle sprain during the return of the Blue and Red scrimmage at Highmark Stadium, taking him out of the lineup for a month.
“He’s working his way back now,” Beane said. “I think those two guys, not long after he got here, it was just a natural feel. Khalil does a great job of – some guys have it, some guys don’t – of just giving the quarterback the feel, the read where he knows.”
Beane compared Shakir’s ability in that regard to that of former Bills receiver Cole Beasley, who played an instrumental role in Allen’s development as a younger quarterback by serving as a safety valve of sorts. Similarly, Allen can read Shakir in his route, offering hope that they'll get back on the same page quickly, despite the injury absence.
Last season, Shakir caught 76 of his 100 targets for 821 yards and four touchdowns. He led the team with 20.2% of the offensive targets and was targeted on 26.3% of his routes, which trailed only tight end Dalton Kincaid. He played 70% of this snaps from the slot.
“I think out of anyone, I've had the most reps with him, just throughout the years,” Allen said. “I'm as confident as him, as I am (in) anybody. So I've got no doubt that when he gets back, it'll be smooth.”
Shakir returned to practice on a limited basis the day after the Bills set their initial 53-man roster, a good sign for his potential availability in Week 1 against the Ravens. Even in that setting, running routes on air, he felt his connection with Allen was strong. He missed just one game last year with a high-ankle sprain, so he has familiarity with coming back from that specific injury.
In the AFC championship game last year, Shakir led the Bills with six catches, but those produced just 46 yards. Mack Hollins’ 73 receiving yards led the team, while Amari Cooper had four catches for 33 yards. Both Hollins (Patriots) and Cooper (Raiders) departed in the offseason, leading to the free-agent additions of Palmer and Moore.
Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer is pushed out of bounds by New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks during their preseason game Aug. 9 at Highmark Stadium. Palmer,
the Bills' probable deep threat, averaged 15.1 yards per catch over his final two seasons with the L.A. Chargers. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Palmer, in particular, has a skill set the group lacked last year. He ranked 10th in qualifying receivers in route win rate last season. Simply put, that means getting open. Cooper was the top member of the Bills on that list, ranking 61st. Against man coverage, Palmer ranked eighth in separation score. Coleman led the Bills, but ranked just 54th in the NFL.
“He cares about his craft,” Allen said of Palmer. “He's just an easy guy to throw to. Body language, eyes … I feel like his catch radius is some of the best I’ve been around.”
Last season, Allen targeted wide receivers on 59.6% of his throws, which ranked 19th in the league. The wideouts combined for 190 receptions, which ranked 20th, for 2,407 yards (22nd) and 18 touchdowns (11th). Hollins led the group by being on the field for 70.7% of the dropbacks, which was not the plan when the season started.
While the Bills’ depth at the position may be improved this year, the lack of a true No. 1 option is still a concern. Perhaps Coleman takes that leap after a season in which he caught 29 of 57 targets for 556 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season.
According to football data analyst Warren Sharp, Coleman caught just 64% of his catchable targets that came 10 or more yards downfield, which ranked 66th out of 72 qualified receivers. For Coleman to become the player the Bills hoped he would be when drafting him at the top of the second round in 2024, that number must improve.
Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman Adrian Kraus, Associated Press
The same questions that existed about Coleman’s game coming out of Florida State – namely, his speed and separation ability – still exist. He did show some promise as a rookie, however, getting a team-high eight targets in the end zone. He also averaged 19.2 yards per catch. In the two games before he suffered a wrist injury in Week 9, Coleman had nine catches for 195 yards and a touchdown.
While Coleman did have some up-and-down moments during training camp, including some drops, he was consistently available, which was important.
The Bills have also noticed a maturation in Coleman as he enters his second season. He has taken a professional approach to the offseason that team leaders recognized.
“Doing things the right way,” Allen said. “He's asked to do a lot in this offense. We're asking him to do more now, too. I think Joe (Brady) always says, ‘The reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.’ That's what he's gotten, right now, is making sure that he knows every position because he will be inside, he will be outside. We're going to ask him to do different things.”
Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel Greg M. Cooper, Associated Press
A hamstring injury cost Samuel most of the preseason. He was healthy enough to return to practice heading into the final exhibition game against Tampa Bay. Samuel was scheduled to play against the Buccaneers, but he came down with an illness a day before the team was to depart. The team’s training staff then decided it was best to have him not travel.
“If he wasn’t here last year, I’d say that’s probably the biggest question mark,” Beane said. “But Josh has a feel for him. They’ll have to get that timing back a little bit.”
When everyone is healthy, the top three receivers are Shakir, Coleman and Palmer. It’s been that way since the spring. The challenge in training camp was solidifying Nos. 4, 5 and 6. Shavers played his way onto the 53-man roster with a strong training camp and the willingness to embrace special-teams duty.
As the leader of the group, Shakir has been pleased with the camaraderie it has shown.
“As a group, we all jell pretty well,” he said. “It's getting to know each other, how are we going to play off each other on the field and stuff like that, it's great. It's a great room. Super-happy to be around those guys every day. They push me, and day by day, we just get closer and closer and better and better.”
Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Last season, the “everybody eats” mantra proved to be a winning one, as the Bills averaged more than 30 points per game in the regular season, second only to Detroit in points scored. The expectation is that this season will follow a similar pattern, although it remains to be seen if, in the biggest moments, Allen has a receiver – or receivers – he can trust to make game-changing plans.
Beane, the architect of this group, understands that question will persist until it’s answered.
“I feel we have to go out and do it and prove it, so I’m not going to sit here and say there’s not going to be any bumps along the way,” he said. “But we feel good with where it’s at.”
