Examining the struggles of Bills' wide receivers and how it can be fixed

The Buffalo Bills have hit a wall with two straight losses, and a big reason for that is the lack of production from the receiving corps.

Anthony Miller | Oct 7, 2024

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A lot can change in two weeks.

The Buffalo Bills were on top of the world following their Week 3 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars, sitting at 3-0 and looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Fast forward to today, and you would've thought two weeks ago was two decades ago.

Regardless of the poor vibes in Orchard Park following Buffalo's ugly Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans, it’s too early to hit the panic button, as the issues the Bills face are fixable. It all starts with the wide receiver position, which has been under fire over the last two games following underwhelming outings against the Baltimore Ravens and then again in Houston.

The stats paint a clear picture of what the receivers have been dealing with. Through the first three games, Bills receivers caught 78.9% of their targets, including two games of 85%. In the last two games, they caught just 38.8% of their targets, including just 22% against the Texans on Sunday.

Over the first three weeks, Buffalo receivers were credited with zero drops. They’ve dropped two passes over the past two games, per Pro Football Focus.

What is interesting is that Josh Allen has thrown it to his receivers more throughout the last two weeks with 18 targets per game versus the first three weeks at 12.7 targets. The receivers are getting more opportunities but not converting into receptions; what is the problem?

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Over the last two weeks, the receivers have not been able to create much separation from defenders. While Curtis Samuel is theoretically their speed guy, no one in the room can be a downfield burner. Rookie Keon Coleman can go up to make contested catches and Khalil Shakir is sure-handed, but outside of that, the Bills don’t have that elite receiver who can do it all.

Not having Shakir in the lineup on Sunday was a bigger loss for Buffalo than expected, as the Texans secondary blanketed the Bills' receivers throughout the game. Buffalo had to revert to short-yard passes for any sort of aerial movement and found essentially no success downfield; Allen was just 1-of-15 on passes more than 10 yards down the field.

So what can be done? Await the return of Shakir and hope that provides a boost? Acquire someone from outside of the organization? Hope for better play-calling from offensive coordinator Joe Brady?

The answer is a bit of the three, with perhaps a prioritization of acquiring additional talent with demonstrated ability to separate. Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is currently on the trade block, and though his financial situation and the roller coaster Buffalo just got off with Stefon Diggs may spark hesitancy, his talent is undeniable. It's clear through five games that the Bills do not employ a target that can be counted on in crucial moments or to consistently move the offense when it's otherwise sputtering; acquiring a player like Adams, or even an Amari Cooper or Romeo Doubs, who help fix this problem.

Brady also needs to grow as a play-caller and once again get more creative. This means a return to the motions that we saw at the start of the season and moving receivers into different positions, which is something he spoke about doing throughout the offseason. Each receiver has their own skill set that is not being utilized to their potential.

Buffalo hoped to get through the 2024 season with its medley of unproven pass catchers, but its struggles over the past two games suggest that changes are needed. This starts internally with better play-calling and players getting healthy, but if the woes persist, the team may be forced to acquire additional talent if it hopes to remain competitive.

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