Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer
The Buffalo Bills have a unique problem ahead of the 2025 season. Their wide receiver room might have too many mouths to feed. As far as name recognition goes, the Bills five deep is about as good as it gets. It is for this reason that Pro Football Network believes the biggest battle that lies ahead of this Bills’ roster is who will emerge as the wide receiver three.
“Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman return as the Buffalo Bills’ top two wide receivers from last season,” published the website. “Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins are no longer on the team, leaving an opening as their WR3 going into 2025.”
The only returning Bill in the bottom three mix is Curtis Samuel. Samuel played every game with the Bills last season and only amassed 253 receiving yards on 31 catches. It is for that reason that PFN see’s this battle going in a different direction.
“Joshua Palmer figures to be the top contender, seeing as though he’s making close to $10 million annually,” PFN concludes. “Curtis Samuel remains part of the rotation, however, and Elijah Moore is just coming off a season with 538 receiving yards. Buffalo’s wide receiver group should be the top position battle on their roster.”
Making The Case For Joshua Palmer Over Elijah Moore
For me this battle is about what the Buffalo Bills receiving room lacks. After losing Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper, they are no longer have a true X receiver. Khalil Shakir is one of the best slot receivers in the game, his 800 yard season last year finally put him on the map around the NFL.
Keon Coleman, however, is a true outside receiver. But like the Justin Jefferson’s and Jamarr Chase’s of the world, Bills fans would much rather see Coleman walk into the very versatile Z receiver role. This leaves a hole at X.
Elijah Moore is a five-foot-ten inside receiver, nearly identical to Shakir. There will be a place for Moore in this offense, especially in games where the team is struggling on the ground, but one can expect a majority of the slot snaps to go to Shakir.
However, standing at six-foot-one, Joshua Palmer is a down field receiver who stretches the defense. In his first four years in the league, Palmer hauled in a 79-yard, 50-yard, and 45-yard grab in three consecutive seasons. He is a big bodied receiver who, when implemented, gives the Bills a prototype 11-personnel unit to make a run at the Lombardi.
Bills Still Don’t Have A True Wide Receiver One
Keon Coleman’s rookie campaign was lightning in a bottle. Although he did not consistently put up eye popping numbers, when Coleman was on it was fun to watch.
Coleman was the first pick of round two in the 2024 NFL Draft, making him an honorary first round selection. As such, Buffalo fans had high expectations for the wideout heading into his rookie year. But it became clear that the young man out of Florida State University still has a lot of work to do before he can unlock his full potential. This has some fans wondering whether or not the Bills have a true number one wide receiver, or a roster full of five-or-so WR2’s.
“Buffalo once again heads into the season without a legit No. 1 wide receiver,” wrote SI’s Randy Gurzi. “That’s what makes their depth so important. They plan on using a committee approach, so finding the right pass-catchers for that committee is going to be of the utmost importance.”