Training Camp - The Buffalo Bills 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 ha
After a year that ended with as much wide receiver drama as it started with, the Buffalo Bills had work to do. Now, training camp is here. What do we make of it?
Buffalo Bills Mandatory Minicamp / Bryan Bennett/GettyImages
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
AFC Wildcard Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Buffalo Bills / Kathryn Riley/GettyImages
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.
Expected Competitors
We now enter the portion where uncertainty is the norm. The three previously mentioned receivers are all but locks for this roster, barring some grand catastrophe. Mack Hollins, however, is where doubt begins to be cast. Sure, the Buffalo Bills spent $2.5M on Mack, but we also saw Brandon Beane cut O.J. Howard on a $3.5M contract before playing a single down for the Bills. Suffice to say, let's keep an open mind.Mack Hollins - 6'4 - 221lbs
To summarize him off the field, Hollins is both very weird and extremely entertaining. Aside from living his life barefoot, and his distain for eating utensils, his on-field credentials speak for themselves. He's a physically dominating player who can excel on special teams, overpower defenders, and brings an aspect to the group that would be sorely missed in the absence of Gabe Davis.Mack Hollins is one impressive blocker, both in the short area and downfield. This may be enough to get him on the 53-man roster already, but he also put up similar stats to Khalil Shakir's 2023 season only a year removed from the last. He's capable, and delivers much-needed assistance to other aspects of the game. Expect him to be used liberally in an offense about to discover a new identity.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling - 6'4 - 206lbs
A surprising pick-up late into the offseason, MVS is a prolific deep threat. He bottoms out the expected roster at WR, but that's a good thing. With MVS, the Buffalo Bills round out a solid group of players that can handle any situation, assuming they're put in the position to actually succeed by Joe Brady and Josh Allen.Unfortunately, Valdes-Scantling has been largely uninteresting in training camp thus far. A forgettable camp at wide receiver is rarely a good thing, but there's plenty to hold out hope for. What we may not have seen in a week of practice has been what we've seen for the last six seasons, a speedy player who can stretch the field and open up the intermediate area, whilst getting clean targets downfield. It's an invaluable skillset and one we don't wish to rely on Curtis Samuel for. When preseason football kicks off, we'll have a better idea on how he's valued in this offense.
Chase Claypool - 6'4 - 238lbs
As he fights for a roster spot, Chase Claypool is currently day-to-day with a toe injury, per the Buffalo Bills.Claypool has been controversial over the last few seasons. An athletic freak, he burst onto the scene for the Steelers in 2020, where he put up consecutive seasons of 850+ yards and scored 13 total TDs. Since then, things have been murky. A slew of issues stemming from beef with teammates, lack of in-game awareness, and on-field errors cost him both team and personal success.
Now, Claypool is aware he's on the bottom. Signing to a league-minimum deal, he hopes to earn his way back into the limelight. That didn't stop him from getting right back to his antics on day one of training camp.
But we're not going to take that as a sign of his inability to change. After all, we brush off every other training camp scuffle, perhaps the benefit of the doubt is in order? If he can return to form, Claypool can be a valuable rotational player and special teamer. But, with limited opportunity because of a foot injury, it's a big 'if'.
Tyrell Shavers - 6'4 - 211lbs
A 2023 undrafted free agent, Tyrell Shavers has been arguably one of the most interesting men at training camp. From the Bills practice quad in 2023, he's making a legitimate push to earn a spot on the rodter for 2024. He's excelled, gone form being expected to miss this roster completely to being a fringe player. At very worst, has shown himself capable of being used again as a practice squad callup, but he's hungry for more.Versatile, with prototypical size and traits, Shavers lacked refinement and great speed exiting the draft. A year later, he seems far more balanced that we remember. The speed may always be a concern, but Shavers is a name to watch as camp progresses.
The Rest Of The Field
This is where things look difficult. Many of these players are playing with hopes to make the practice squad, be they veterans or undrafted rookies. To make the team at all is a longshot, and to do so in a significant and impctful way is but a pipedream. Still, these men are rostered and capable, so let's see what they offer.Justin Shorter - 6'4 - 223lbs
Fans may remember Shorter as the muscled freak the Buffalo Bills selected last last draft, who missed the 2023 season with a 'tragic' injury. We say 'tragic' due to the likelihood that he was simply stashed on the injured reserve with something minor, so the team could keep him for camp this year. So far, he hasn't heard his name called, and nor have we.Offering significant athleticism and size, but little refinement at all, Shorter can be a special teams contributor from day one. The problem comes with his production. He's never really done much with his tools and, barring a significant change, he's unlikely to see the field in 2024.
Andy Isabella - 5'9 - 188
The only person on this list not named Khalil Shakir to take a snap with the Bills, Andy Isabella is a better known to fans than much of his competition. Expected to compete as a kick returner when signed in 2023, Isabella lost that battle and lived on the Bills practice squad for much of 2023. They would likely be happy to see his speed and vision there again.KJ Hamler - 5'9 -178
A former teammate of Justin Shorter's, Hamler has his own set of troubles. An early second-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos in 2020, Hamler has been plagued by a torn ACL and many hamstring injuries though his career. Followed by a torn pec and the lengthy recovery time, things have been derailed significantly for Hamler, who had high expectations coming out of college. Once his recovery was complete, Hamler was diagnosed with pericarditis, a heart issue, and waived by the Broncos.Now, he's attempting his comeback. Out of college he was supposed to be an electric, if undersized, slot receiver who could have major impact on a game. If Hamler can regain even part of his former self, he may well be able to crack the fringes of this roster.
