Underrated WR circled as Bills' 'biggest breakout' candidate in 2024 season

One outlet feels as though Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir will emerge to national prominence in 2024.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 21, 2024

Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) runs the ball in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 2024 AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was comically astute when he compared the team’s revamped receiving corps to Baskin-Robbins earlier this offseason, as the unit does have a bevy of flavors.

In the wake of the spring departures of Gabriel Davis and perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, the team opted to construct a diverse group that offers a wide range of skill sets as opposed to acquiring another bonafide primary target through which it can funnel its offense. Rookie Keon Coleman and free agent signing Curtis Samuel figure to be significant contributors, but third-year player Khalil Shakir is perhaps the favorite to lead Buffalo’s receiving corps in targets, as he’s the only remaining wideout on Buffalo’s roster who has caught a pass from signal-caller Josh Allen in live-game action.

Shakir’s rapport with Allen improved down the stretch of his sophomore season as he became a more featured player in the offense, catching 20 passes for 363 yards over the final seven games of the campaign. He caught another 10 passes for 75 yards and two scores in the playoffs, his rise to prominence directly coinciding with quarterbacks coach Joe Brady’s ascension to interim offensive coordinator.

With Brady now in the role full-time, one could reasonably expect Shakir to shine yet again in the 2024 season. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder agrees with this sentiment, circling Shakir as a potential breakout star in a recent article titled “Predicting Every NFL Team’s Biggest Breakout of the 2024 NFL Season.”

“After a rather quiet rookie season, Shakir had a strong performance in year two with 611 receiving yards and a couple of touchdowns,” Holder wrote. “He ended last year strong, logging 444 yards and a couple of 100-yard performances in the team's last nine games to build some momentum heading into 2024. Also, the Bills moved on from Stefon Diggs in the offseason, so there should be more targets to go around. It will also help that the 2022 fifth-round pick has familiarity with Josh Allen.”

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) catches a touchdown agaistn Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (not pictured) during the second half for the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Shakir is well-positioned to have the best season of his young professional career in 2024, as he realistically could be Allen’s go-to wide receiver in the short-to-intermediate game. With Coleman figured to be a big-play and red-zone threat and Samuel featured in an enhanced gadget role, Shakir could see the bulk of the chain-moving work among receivers.

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Buffalo’s offense (especially when one factors in second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid, who could realistically lead the team in targets this fall), but there’s little reason to believe Shakir won’t be one of the biggest benefactors of the team’s offseason retool. As Holder notes, the omission of Diggs and Davis leaves 241 targets unaccounted for; coming off a season in which he received only 45 looks, expect this number to increase significantly for Shakir in 2024.

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