Bills’ renovated WR room ranked among worst in NFL

The Buffalo Bills have made a concerted effort to refresh their roster during the 2024 offseason, with perhaps no position group being impacted more than the receiving corps. The team parted ways with Gabriel Davis and perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, replacing those players with free agent signee Curtis Samuel, rookie Keon Coleman and what amounts to several throws at the dartboard.

Spring cleaning the receiving corps leaves Buffalo a talented but inexperienced group with a high ceiling, but we won’t do that. Really know the strength of the unit until meaningful shots are played. Third-year contributor Khalil Shakir is its longest-tenured member and should move into a more meaningful role given his late-season breakout in 2023 – he could be the “safest bet” in the receiver room. Samuel is a speedy weapon returning to the offensive coordinator who led him to the best production of his career four years ago, but he has only usurped 1,000 yards from scrimmage once as a professional. Coleman is a 6-foot-3 pass catcher who could one day be an alpha boundary receiver, but he is, at this point, generally a bit raw. The team’s options on the depth chart include Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins and Chase Claypool alongside a host of other question marks who offer little demonstrated production.

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There is reason for optimism, but it’s hard to say with certainty that the unit will be successful during the 2024 season, even with the aerial attack led by an otherworldly signal-caller in Josh Allen. This sentiment was reflected in Pro Football Focus writer Trevor Sikkema’s recent article in which he ranks all of the NFL’s receiving corps; Buffalo comes in at No. 27 on the list, indicating it has the sixth-worst receiver room in the league.

“The Bills’ losses to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis (much more Diggs than Davis) make it difficult to rank them higher on this list,” Sikkema wrote. “Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel could make a nice long-term trio, but that’s outside our scope here.

“Buffalo’s tight end room provides a boost to the receiving corps, headlined by Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox. Running back James Cook didn’t grade well as a receiver last season (54.3 grade), but he has good ability in that area.

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It’s hard to worry too much about placement given the turnover and question marks mentioned above. It’s fair to have optimism and confidence given Allen’s presence and what we’ve seen in past seasons from players like Shakir and Samuel, but this ranking is not not based on assumptions. That’s based on past production, something that Buffalo’s revamped receiving corps — headlined by a third-year player with 49 career receptions, a 27-year-old who has never exceeded 1 000 receiving yards and a rookie – doesn’t have a ton of .

That said, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the unit significantly outperform this ranking during the regular season, given their talent and potential. Buffalo, as Sikkema notes, also plans to generate aerial production with its tight ends and running backs; Dalton Kincaid described the period of his rookie season, with many predicting he would lead the team in receptions during his sophomore campaign. If new full-timer Joe Brady’s past offenses are any indication, James Cook (and even rookie Ray Davis) could see consistent pass-catching opportunities out of the backfield.

Despite the turnover and inexperience of the receiving corps, there is no need to panic regarding Buffalo’s collection of pass catchers.