The Athletic: Buffalo Bills training camp: Khalil Shakir a model of consistency, and more

Bills training camp: Khalil Shakir a model of consistency, and more

Plus, Curtis Samuel is proving his versatility and DE2 could be up for grabs.

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After running it back with their wide receiver room for quite some time, the Bills did a hard reset in the 2024 offseason. Stefon Diggs was traded to Houston, Gabe Davis signed a lucrative contract in Jacksonville, the Bills didn’t bring back Trent Sherfield while also releasing Deonte Harty for cap relief.

Among all the changes remains only one face from the 2023 team with any playing time — Khalil Shakir. Entering his third season with the team, Shakir now finds himself the longest in tooth from a Bills perspective, having had more time working with franchise quarterback Josh Allen than possibly the rest of their receiver room combined.

That status has been confirmed with his usage over the first two days, lining up in the slot for a ton of first-team snaps and not working with any quarterback other than Allen during team drills.

As for what the Bills expect from their 24-year-old quasi-elder statesman, they really don’t want to change a thing.

“Khalil Shakir is consistent as they come,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said Thursday. “The big thing I told him is, I don’t need him to feel like he needs to do anything more. He doesn’t. Just continue being Khalil Shakir.”

Brady noted the leap that Shakir took over the final ten games of the regular season, in which the receiver caught 31 passes for 536 yards and became a clutch, dependable target for Allen. Above all else, that’s the version of Shakir the Bills want heading into 2024.

“His consistency as a wide receiver, he speaks so loudly to the quarterbacks with the way he runs routes and just continues to make plays,” Brady said. “Josh has the utmost confidence in him.”

After having only 25.4 percent of offensive snaps through his seven games last year, Shakir saw his usage skyrocket to being on the field for 69.4 percent of all the team’s offensive snaps over the team’s last ten regular season games and two playoff outings. Given how much things have changed except for Shakir, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shakir equaled or slightly bettered those figures in 2024.

Besides Shakir, there were some other notable wide receiver items, among other things, from Day 2 of training camp. Here are some observations from the team’s second day at St. John Fisher University.

If the Bills’ receiver room is like a silverware drawer, then Curtis Samuel is the spork. (Mark Konezny / USA Today)

Curtis Samuel provides versatile usage​

While Shakir remains a mainstay with the top unit through the first two days of camp, free agent receiver Curtis Samuel has lined up all over the formation just in the first two days. Whether as a boundary receiver, inside at the slot or at running back — which Brady mentioned Samuel doing on former Bills center Eric Wood’s podcast ahead of camp — Samuel is already taking on a bevy of roles. He also was on the receiving end of the best offensive play of the day, when Allen feathered a pass over the middle above the shoulders of defensive back Cam Lewis for a big play. While the throw was the headliner, Samuel’s concentration and separation at the end of the route were also quite good.

It’s still far too early to tell just how big Samuel’s role will be in the almost brand-new Bills receiver room, as Shakir, rookie Keon Coleman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins will all be vying for time as well. Coach Sean McDermott likened his receiver room to a silverware drawer on Wednesday because he felt they had a lot of different skill sets. Someone writing this article may or may not have asked McDermott who the spork is of the Bills receiver room, to which McDermott laughed and declined to answer. But without question, Samuel is the spork. He’s the most versatile piece they have in the room. And that could help him get on the field in more situations than some of his receiver teammates.

KJ Hamler works in with Allen, along with two others​

While the Bills stuck to their top five receivers with Allen on the first day of training camp, they filtered in a handful of others on a few team drill plays throughout the day. That group included both Chase Claypool and even second-year player Tyrell Shavers on one play, but most notably, it was 2020 second-round pick KJ Hamler. Hamler’s speed is a definite factor, and he’s always had noteworthy potential with injuries just getting in his way. As the Bills like to make the most of their reps with Allen, Hamler getting a handful with the franchise quarterback is notable, if only to see if it continues. Brady also made it a point to provide some good feedback to Hamler after a team drill rep, showing a modicum of investment from the offensive coordinator

Hamler has some potential working both from the slot or at Z receiver, and given his speed and versatility. That is a lot different than Claypool, Shavers and Justin Shorter, who are mostly just one-position types and don’t bring the same down-the-field threat due to speed. If Hamler can keep earning more opportunities with Allen, along with showing well on special teams, he could certainly be in consideration to be the team’s sixth receiver on the 53-man roster.

DE2 appears somewhat open​

Most of the attention in the early portion of camp has remained on the flashy positions of the offense because of how new it is. The defensive line, however, has seen quite an overhaul of its depth, which has led to at least one early opportunity for a starting role. At defensive end, Greg Rousseau remains one locked-in starter, and the anticipation was that the recently re-signed A.J. Epenesa would be the starter on the opposite side of Rousseau. That has not always been the case over the first couple of days. Epenesa has gotten some time with the first team, but so has Von Miller and, perhaps more surprisingly, late free-agent acquisition Dawuane Smoot.

With the usual hubbub surrounding the NFL Draft and the days after it, Smoot’s signing in early May went somewhat under the radar. The 29-year-old has had a long career with 17 starts to his name in Jacksonville, but more importantly, the Bills made a pretty large financial commitment to Smoot given their current standing with the salary cap. They guaranteed $1.75 million of Smoot’s $2.5 million contract, while also assigning four void years after 2024 to bring his cap number down. Anytime void years get used on a new signing, that’s usually a strong indicator that they are in the Bills’ plans. We’ll continue to track this early rotation and see who stands out when the pads go on, but at the moment, the other starting job appears to be one for the taking.

Mike Edwards gets his day with the 1s​

The team surprisingly opened up training camp with fourth-year safety Damar Hamlin as the first-team player alongside Taylor Rapp. They have been positive about Hamlin’s performance from the spring, and his first-day positioning was likely a product of that. But on the second day of camp, it was a much more expected pairing with the first unit on defense as veteran Mike Edwards was on the field with Rapp. Edwards, who has started 28 games over five NFL seasons, was always the anticipated starter if second-round rookie Cole Bishop wasn’t ready for the starting lineup.

But now with both Hamlin and Edwards getting their own day with the top unit, there will be some Day 3 intrigue to see if Bishop gets time with the top unit, if defensive back Cam Lewis gets a day next to Rapp, or if the rotation resets. If it’s the latter, that’s another indicator of Bishop having his work cut out for him to find his way into the starting lineup. The team doesn’t usually like to hand prominent jobs to rookie players without them earning it, so Bishop having to wait until at least the third day is a clear indicator of that. Early on, this battle and how they divvied up reps is reminiscent of the competition at starting cornerback last summer.

Keep an eye on Tylan Grable​

You never quite know what to expect out of late-round draft picks and their standing on the roster at the beginning of training camp, and you certainly have to be wary of making a sweeping generalization too early into the process. But through a pair of days, the usage of sixth-round rookie offensive tackle Tylan Grable has been noteworthy. He hasn’t cracked the first-team offensive line, because that has been set in stone through the first two days of camp with, from left to right, Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence and Spencer Brown making up the group.

But often times with the Bills, you’ll see Day 3 offensive line draft picks on the third unit. Grable has had some reps with that group, but more notably, he has had a noteworthy amount of snaps with the second-team offense, working at both right and left tackle. Grable’s athleticism was one of the primary reasons they drafted him. Using that to his benefit is much easier in a non-padded setting, so the bigger test for Grable will be how he responds to the physicality in both one-on-one and team drills. If he continues to earn those second-team opportunities, the Bills might not be able to risk having him hit waivers after final cuts.