Bills deemed ideal landing spot for Super Bowl-winning WR

Bleacher Report has identified the Buffalo Bills as an ideal fit for a back-to-back Super Bowl-winning wide receiver.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

It’s never a bad idea to add experience and championship pedigree to a young position group, is it?

The Buffalo Bills overhauled their receiving corps in the 2024 NFL offseason, moving on from veterans Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis while recentering the unit around youth in the form of rookie Keon Coleman and third-year contributor Khalil Shakir. While the team did add external reinforcements with the likes of Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, and (likely training camp body) Chase Claypool, it looks as though Buffalo plans to rely on young, relatively inexperienced pass-catchers for the vast majority of its aerial production (especially when one factors second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid into the equation).

The turnover and resulting inexperience at the position has prompted some pundits to question the potential productivity and long-term sustainability of the unit, with many feeling as though the Bills still need to make another move or two at wide receiver. One writer feels as though a back-to-back Super Bowl champion could be an advantageous acquisition for Buffalo; in his recent article highlighting one currently unsigned veteran who could help bolster each NFL contender, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox identified former Kansas City Chiefs wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling as a potential fit for the Bills.

“There's room for another receiver in Buffalo's lineup, specifically one who can stretch the field as Diggs once did,” Knox wrote. Scooping up former conference rival Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be a great move for the Bills. Valdes-Scantling wasn't particularly consistent in his two years with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he came up big during the 2023 postseason—including two catches for 62 yards against Buffalo in the divisional round.

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“After winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs, Valdes-Scantling could also help show the Bills what is required to take that proverbial next step. Plus, any insight he might provide on how to beat Kansas City in the postseason would be remarkably valuable.”

It’s a potential marriage that, on paper, makes sense; the Bills could use more experience and general bodies in the receiving corps, and Valdes-Scantling, though not a worldbeater, hasn’t been unproductive throughout his career, catching 186 passes for 3,155 yards and 16 touchdowns throughout his six seasons in the NFL. He’d act as a speedy, big-bodied deep threat and occasional slot option for quarterback Josh Allen, and Buffalo’s front office has shown (slight) interest in ‘MVS’ in the past; the team held a late pre-draft workout with the then-USF Bull ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Though not an egregious suggestion given the Bills’ situation at receiver, Buffalo signing Valdes-Scantling wouldn’t necessarily move any needles. He wouldn’t jump Coleman, Shakir, or Samuel on the depth chart to become an immediate starter. He likely wouldn’t contribute on special teams, as per PFF, he hasn’t consistently played on special teams since his rookie season. At 29 years of age, there likely isn’t too much ‘untapped potential’ there, either.

It’s very much a shuffling chairs type of idea—sure, he’d add veteran experience to the unit, but is he a long-term option? Do you want him taking snaps away from potentially interesting developmental pieces like Justin Shorter and Tyrell Shavers, or reclamation projects like Claypool or KJ Hamler?

A potential signing of Valdes-Scantling is an interesting idea to revisit if Buffalo does not like how its receiving corps is shaking out in training camp, but at this juncture, the team seems happy rolling with the collection of youth and skill sets it currently employs.