The Buffalo Bills offseason was predicated on handing out extensions to homegrown talent that have helped make this squad the power house it is. They retooled the defensive line and drafted well in the defensive backfield. But the one thorn that seems to hinder this Bills offense year in and year out remained unaddressed, and that is the wide receiver position.
They resigned Khalil Shakir, which was a good move for one of the leagues best slot receivers. Nobody knows what player Keon Coleman will morph into, but expectations are high. Still, the Bills could have benefited from signing a real weapon for the MVP to wield. But ESPN’s Seth Walder thinks they came up short.
“Buffalo’s ‘big’ move at receiver was signing (Joshua) Palmer in free agency,” Walder writes. “Palmer is an uninspiring choice given his 1.6 yards per route run last season (and failure to ever reach 1.9 yards per route run in a season) despite playing with Justin Herbert in Los Angeles…
The reality is that wide receiver is a weakness, but the Bills are also basically capped out — they have almost no room in 2025 and are well over the 2026 cap — so it was going to be tough to bring aboard a better veteran. Given the Bills’ status as a Super Bowl contender, I don’t think it was wrong to critique their decision to not select a wide receiver in the first three rounds of the draft.”
Walder Still Grades Buffalo Offseason High
Despite this exasperated rant, Walder still believes the Buffalo Bills had a productive offseason. He praised the dedication to taking care of the team’s young core before they can test the free agent market, and thinks the team got Shakir at a massive discount. The overall grade given was a B+.
“The Bills’ offseason wasn’t flashy because its big moves were extensions for key players who will make up the future core of this team,” Walder continued. “Buffalo doled out new deals to Allen, Shakir, Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford and Terrel Bernard. These were logical moves, and it made sense to get ahead on young players who could have commanded more money had they been closer to free agency.”
Is Wide Receiver Bills’ Biggest Weakness?
Despite continued success, and off-the-charts individual performances from Josh Allen, Buffalo has never quite supported the MVP the way you’d like to see. The team consistently has great offensive line play, but the weapons have not been up to par with the Chiefs, the Bengals, and the Ravens of the world.
On ESPN’s latest skill position rankings, the team finished lower than ever. In 2023, they were 20th. Last season, 24th. Now the Bills have the preseason’s 28th ranked skill group.
“This probably feels low for one of the league’s best offenses,” the article reads. “While general manager Brandon Beane might disagree, this is likely the least imposing group of receivers in the NFL on paper.”
It is surprising to see the team that has not had a true pound for pound number one receiver since Stefon Diggs left entering another season without the position truly addressed. Perhaps expectations inside the organization are much higher than public perception, and I suppose time will tell whether or not the team has sufficiently supported Josh Allen.
