Bills new-look receiving corps making an early splash at training camp

The Buffalo Bills revamped receiving corps has looked good early in training camp with all the new additions making their mark through two days.

Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman pulls in a pass during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and

The Buffalo Bills are about as close to a brand-new wide receiver corps as one can get without completely flipping over the entire roster. Gone are four-time pro bowler Stefon Diggs and touchdown machine (27 in four years) Gabe Davis. With the absence of their top two wideouts from 2023, the Bills now have 241 vacated targets from that duo alone heading into 2024.

To replace the bulk of their production from the last four years, Buffalo brought over Curtis Samuel from the Washington Commanders, Mack Hollins from the Atlanta Falcons, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling from Kansas City. Brandon Beane also used his first pick (33rd overall) on WR Keon Coleman from Florida State. Those four, along with holdover Khalil Shakir, are expected to make up the bulk of the team's receiving routes in 2024. Bills' offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, spoke about the bunch and how he plans on utilizing them on day two of training camp.

One thing Brady hearkened back on several occurrences was how multiple he wants all of his pass catchers to be. He said, "We're in the process of trying to see what all of our guys can do — just their different skill sets. I am so excited about the group we have, the tight ends and receivers because it is so many different skill sets. You hope the versatility allows it to play harder on defenses to defend." He added that this comes from "time on task" and the need for the new pieces to get as many reps doing as many routes as possible each practice. This is something that @Pro__Ant noted he noticed often during day two of training camp.

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The player fans have their eyes on the most is second-round selection Keon Coleman. The Florida State product finished his junior year with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns. It's early, but his summer conditioning has paid off according to Brady. "I think you can see the work that he put in the last month. It was important to him to not just get away and enjoy a summer, he took it upon himself to work on his craft. That shows who he is. It is a matter of consistency. You can have one day, but can you follow it up."

Coleman had a highlight catch on day one and moved the sticks several times on day two. While many have pigeon-holed Coleman as an X receiver, Brady isn't so fast to give him a label: "We don't have positions. The way we teach the offense is conceptually. These are three-man concepts, these are two-man concepts, and these are full-field progressions. So, if I ask the guy 'What do you have on this play?' They should ask me 'What is the formation and what position am I playing on that play?' Not 'Hey I'm the X so I have this." It really forces the guys to understand that at any moment you can be on that spot, so you have to know it... I don't want the guys to memorize a play or that specific route, they need to know it all." A player that stands 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, but can play all of the field would be a valuable piece for the Buffalo Bills.

Arguably the biggest chess piece the Bills added this offseason is Curtis Samuel. A gadget-type player that can, and should, be utilized all over the field. @Pro__Ant saw exactly that, tweeting: Curtis Samuel has looked really good these first two days. His athleticism, speed, hands, and versatility have consistently shown up. And the alignments he’s being used in + the pre-snap motion/shifts he’s engaging in, really show how Brady can set him up for success & why he wanted him.

Jul 24, 2024; Rochester, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady during training camp at St. John Fisher University. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Allen will be by far the best quarterback that Samuel has played with and will give him the passing ability to top his back-to-back seasons of over 60 catches with more than 600 yards and four touchdowns each of the last two years. While he may not be the prototypical field stretcher, Brady sang his praises about getting open downfield in a multitude of ways: "I think you have to respect everybody. I don't think speed is the only thing that impacts whether defensive are worried about guys going downfield. If you look across the league, a 40-time doesn't tell you if you are a downfield threat or not. Size can play a factor, what kind of routes you can run, how you track a football. There are so many more things than just speed elements to it. Not necessarily just Curtis, but the rest of the room."

The last addition that Brady spoke about specifically is Mack Hollins, but maybe not in the traditional sense. "Probably one of my favorite people I’ve ever met," said Brady. "I'm becoming more grounded because of him. I was walking out barefoot yesterday. Now there are 10 other guys barefoot. That speaks about who he is, guys want to follow him," he added. When it comes to who Hollins is on the field, "After practice he just doesn't want to stop, he has so much energy. I love his style of play, the way he plays. His personality is so fun. We embrace that in Buffalo. We want guys to be themselves. I hope the city of Buffalo enjoys him walking in the snow barefoot... Mack Hollins is going to be a stud for us on the field and off," mentioned Brady. The Bills hope they see more of the guy who filled in admirably for the Raiders in 2022, putting up 57 catches for 690 yards, and four touchdowns.

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The last player that Brady talked about was Khalil Shakir, the key returner from 2023. Shakir's value started to pop the last three regular season games and two playoff games last year. In those games he caught 23 of 25 targets for 264 yards, and a pair of playoff touchdowns.

"Khalil Shakir is as consistent as they come," Brady said. "I don't need him to feel like he needs to do anything more, he doesn't. Just keep being Khalil Shakir. His consistency as a WR speaks so loudly to the quarterbacks the way he runs routes and makes plays, and Josh has the utmost confidence in him. I just need him to continue to stack the days like he does."

When you add that all together, the Bills players and coaches aren't a team that seems as worried as national pundits are about their offensive decline in 2024.

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