The Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver room is experiencing a high level of turnover. Between 2023 and 2024, only one wide receiver will remain in the room: Khalil Shakir. They did emphasize the wide receiver position throughout the offseason, but not in the way that most fans expected or hoped for.
Curtis Samuel, a wide receiver, was their biggest free agent signing. They selected Keon Coleman as their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They also signed free agents Chase Claypool and Mack Hollins. So, who did the Bills bring in that could help them have their finest season yet?
Based on their recent production in their careers prior to joining the Bills, three of them are most likely to do so. These three receivers are also playing with the best quarterback of their careers so far, Josh Allen, and there isn’t much of a debate in that aspect.
3 wide receivers in line for career seasons with Josh Allen and the Bills
Curtis Samuel
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Curtis Samuel has been a fairly consistent player throughout his career. He was not the primary feature of the Washington Commanders’ offense in recent seasons. Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson were the team’s top receivers.
With Sam Howell, Taylor Heinicke, and the “ghost” of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Commanders have also suffered from bad quarterback play. He previously played for the Panthers, who, like the Commanders, had awful quarterback performance. Samuel played with Teddy Bridgewater, Kyle Allen, and Cam Newton, who was nearing the conclusion of his career.
His finest season was in 2020, with 851 receiving yards, 200 rushing yards, three receiving touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns. This is also the year in which Joe Brady served as his offensive coordinator.
So, because Samuel will be a larger part of this offense than he was with the Commanders, and because he has a prior relationship with Brady, he could be a prime target for Josh Allen. Along with being a wide receiver, he can also contribute in the run game, keeping opponents on their toes.
Mack Hollins
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Hollins isn’t the top receiver on this team, but he’s a little overlooked. He is not only a bigger receiver who can threaten in the red zone, but he also contributes significantly on special teams and as a run blocker.
The introduction mentions a frequent thread in Hollins’ career: playing with subpar quarterbacks. He played alongside Tua Tagovailoa in his first two seasons, 2020 and 2021, but was signed by the Raiders before Tagovailoa broke out in 2022. He did not produce much in Philadelphia with the Eagles before being dealt to the Dolphins, but he did play on a Super Bowl-winning club as a rookie with the Eagles and Carson Wentz at the helm.
In 2022, he had his greatest season with the Las Vegas Raiders, with 57 catches, 690 yards, and four touchdowns. That was with one of the best quarterbacks he had ever played with, Derek Carr. He played with Desmond Ridder last season in 2023, who was most likely the worst quarterback and offensive he has ever worked with. Hollins’ numbers may not be as high as they were in 2022, but he might have similar numbers and possibly more touchdowns.
Chase Claypool
Claypool is undoubtedly the most difficult guy to predict for a great year with the Bills, given that he will not be one of the top choices in this passing system. But he can re-invent himself as one of the league’s best wide receivers, just like he did in Pittsburgh during his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Claypool had 873 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns in 2020, and 860 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in 2021. He may compete for 400-500 yards as one of the last choices in this passing game.
Definitely not one of Pittsburgh’s top three choices, but given how many less targets he could get, that could result in a higher yards per reception average. Also, like Mack Hollins, he is a big-bodied receiver with red zone potential, thus he could score more touchdowns than in 2021.
