Bills QB Josh Allen 'excited' to see this underrated WR in larger offensive role

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen spoke highly of wide receiver Khalil Shakir as he looks for his young pass catcher to step up into a bigger role in 2024.

Anthony Miller | Aug 17, 2024

Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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League-wide expectations for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir are at an all-time high, and his quarterback is confident that he can meet them.

During a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast, Buffalo signal-caller Josh Allen gave high praise to Shakir, noting how multi-dimensional he is for the offense.

“He’s got, like, the best catch percentage [last season]," Allen said. "You watch anything that he does when he doesn’t even have the ball, he’s flying to the ball, he’s making an extra block, he’s following it just in case someone fumbles. He’s running the influence to get someone open behind him. He does things the right way, and he’s so fun to throw to."

Shakir has developed into a reliable receiver since the Bills drafted him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He improved his stats year-over-year from 161 yards and one touchdown in 2022 to 611 yards and two touchdowns last season. What showed Shakir's drastic growth was the percentage of receptions he made from his targets; he caught 91.1% of "catchable" balls, per Pro Football Focus, which was the highest in the NFL in 2023.

Allen pointed toward the team's Wild Card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last year as a key indicator of what Shakir can do.

"You see the ball in his hands, you talk about the Steelers game last year, cutting up through the defense and scoring in the playoff game," Allen said. "I’m excited to see him step into a bigger role with this offense. We haven’t asked him to do a whole lot over the last couple of years. Obviously last [season], the second half of the year, we incorporated him more into our offense, and you saw what we did. Very excited about his season coming up.”

Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Shakir made critical plays during the Bills' playoff run. He had 10 catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in two games. Regarding catch percentage, he caught 10 of his 12 targets in the playoffs, which is good for 83%.

Shakir is unique because he is the longest-tenured receiver in the Bills' receiver room, which means his rapport with Allen should, in theory, be the strongest in the room. That should put him in a position to be frequently targeted and make plays consistently, as Shakir knows Allen's ball placement and arm strength.

Allen will be looking to Shakir to lead by example and show the receiving corps what he is looking for in a pass catcher this fall, something that could result in career-high statistical production from the 24-year-old.

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