Editor鈥檚 note: This is the sixth in a seven-part series looking at the Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2025 NFL offseason.
The names mostly changed at the Bills鈥 wide receiver position last year, but not the distribution of receptions.
From 2020 to 2023, the passing game went through Stefon Diggs, who had 45, 21, 60 and 62 more catches than the Bills鈥 next-closest receiver. He was Exhibit A of a high-usage player.
In Year 1 post-Diggs, Khalil Shakir had a team-high 76 catches 鈭 45 more than the next-closest receiver (Mack Hollins).
Extenuating circumstances contribute to the gap, chiefly midseason wrist injuries to Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman that cost them two and four games, respectively.
But as the Bills plot their offseason plans 鈥
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Do they need help at the receiver position? Yes. This was a group that had only a combined three 100-yard games in the regular season and playoffs (Shakir two, Coleman one).
Bills receiver Keon Coleman catches a two-point conversion pass in the wild-card round win over the Broncos at Highmark Stadium.
Can they bank on Coleman having a second-season emergence? A semi-big bet. The Bills are counting on a second offseason program and training camp working with quarterback Josh Allen and receivers coach Adam Henry to bring consistency.
And do they feel Curtis Samuel can have more of an impact after a nondescript first year? It behooves them to make it work, because his salary cap hit is $9.065 million.
Bills receiver Curtis Samuel runs after making a catch in a divisional round win over the Ravens in Orchard Park.
After Shakir, Samuel tied Hollins with 31 catches, Coleman had 29 and Cooper 20. They combined for 16 of the Bills鈥 30 touchdown receptions.
The Bills know what they have in Shakir, which puts the focus on Coleman and Samuel.
On Jan. 30, Beane said the Bills had 鈥渉onest, direct conversations,鈥 with Coleman, but stressed that the organization remains confident he can be a consistent player.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a young player,鈥 Beane said. 鈥淗is career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. He has a skill set that we think will play well in this offense.鈥
A positive for Coleman, besides his four touchdowns, was drawing six penalties by opponents, second-most on the Bills behind quarterback Josh Allen (nine).
Samuel never got out of the blocks 鈥 seven of his 31 catches came in the regular-season finale at New England. The Bills struggled to find ways to use him, and then he battled injuries 鈥 he was on the injury report 12 times in 17 regular-season games (toe, pectoral, foot and ribs). He did have a 55-yard touchdown in the Bills鈥 wild-card playoff win over Denver.
鈥淚 know he had been with (offensive coordinator) Joe (Brady in Carolina), but this was not the exact same system Joe used with him before,鈥 Beane said. 鈥淵es, you would have loved for him to get off to a faster start. It was nice to see, once he got healthy down the stretch, that we started utilizing him and his speed.鈥
Cooper, acquired Oct. 16 from the Cleveland Browns, and Hollins, who caught four touchdowns while playing on a one-year deal, are both free agents. Cooper鈥檚 market is unclear as he enters his age-31 season and is coming off a career-low season in catches (44 between the Bills and Browns), yards (547) and touchdowns (four).
Hollins, who turns 32 on Sept. 16, has played for four teams in as many seasons and may have a team willing to offer him a two-year contract. The Bills might be willing to offer him a second consecutive one-year deal as a nod to his away-from-the-ball blocking ability and team-high five touchdowns in 2024.
If the Bills don鈥檛 retain Cooper and Hollins and are loathe to trade draft picks for a veteran receiver, it puts the focus on the 30th overall pick to potentially address receiver 鈥 even though defensive tackle, cornerback and edge rusher are also priorities.
Under contract: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers and K.J. Hamler.
Pending free agents: Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins.
Key question: Can Coleman take a big jump in production in his second year?
Free agency and draft priority: High.
