NFL analyst thinks 'the sky is the limit' for underrated Bills WR

An NFL analyst is projecting a breakout 2024 season for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Several national pundits who don’t closely follow the Buffalo Bills have suggested that the sky is falling in Western New York with regard to the team’s receiving corps, that it failed to effectively supplement the losses of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis and, thus, will struggle throughout the 2024 campaign due to what may be an ineffective aerial attack.

You probably shouldn’t subscribe to this ‘chicken little’-level hysteria.

Buffalo is confident in its pass-catching group despite it, on paper, appearing less talented than it was a year ago. Second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid, who flashed down the stretch of his rookie season, figures to rise into a more prominent role given the team’s offseason maneuvers, with new additions in Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and rookie Keon Coleman rounding out a revamped passing game that still has a high ‘floor’ given that it’s helmed by an otherworldly quarterback in Josh Allen.

Related: WATCH: Khalil Shakir breaks down connection with legendary Bills WR

Perhaps no player figures to benefit more from the spring departures of Diggs and Davis than third-year contributor Khalil Shakir, a versatile pass-catcher who developed a rapport with Allen in the final weeks of the 2023 season. His role in the offense grew after Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator in Week 11, becoming a mainstay on 11 personnel snaps; he averaged roughly three receptions per game over the final seven contests of the season, finishing the year with 39 catches for 611 yards and 11 scores.

Shakir—given his demonstrated chemistry with his signal-caller and the absences of Diggs and Davis—projects as one of Buffalo’s top three wideouts; he’s the only wide receiver currently on the team’s roster who has caught a pass from Allen in a regular season game, and thus, it’s not egregious to imagine him being a go-to target for his quarterback in the passing attack. This sentiment is shared by The 33rd Team analyst Marcus Mosher; during a recent appearance on One Bills Live, the writer talked about Shakir, describing him as a nationally underrated wideout who is poised to emerge in the 2024 campaign.

“I’m so glad that you asked me that because now I get to talk about Khalil Shakir, who might be my favorite under-the-radar player in the NFL,” Mosher said. “I know Bills fans know Khalil Shakir, but I’m not sure the national football fan realizes how good Khalil Shakir is and what his ceiling could be in this offense. Every time Buffalo gave him an opportunity to produce over the last two years, he’s made big plays. 

Khalil Shakir puts together an incredible effort to score a huge Bills TD.

A fantastic call here by Jim Nantz on a wild play, which Tony Romo had "stopped looking" at. 🏈🎙️ pic.twitter.com/dl0l9m9GL5

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 16, 2024

“We saw in the playoff game against the Steelers, the incredible catch, the play he made after the catch. I’m not suggesting that he’s going to be a No. 1 receiver [or] a one-for-one replacement for Stefon Diggs, but I do think Khalil Shakir could be a really impactful receiver on a very good offense. I’m really excited to see what he looks like in year three.”

Mosher went on to discuss Shakir’s usage; the 24-year-old has been primarily deployed as a slot receiver throughout his professional career, with roughly 68% of his offensive snaps in the 2023 season coming from the slot. That said, the former Boise State Bronco has the size necessary to survive on the outside and has some experience in the spot, logging nearly 600 snaps out wide throughout his four-year collegiate career.

Related: Are we buying the Chase Claypool hype at Bills OTAs?

The Bills have flirted with using Shakir as an outside receiver at times, and he hasn’t looked out of place in these instances. Mosher wonders if this will become a more regular occurrence in the 2024 campaign; if it does, the analyst thinks Shakir could emerge as a potentially special player.

“And that’s what I’m going to be interested to see here in year three is how much time does he spend on the outside?” Mosher asked. “Because for the better majority of his career right now in Buffalo, he’s been a slot guy, and even going back to Boise State, he’s been a slot guy. But you look at the size—he’s about 200 pounds, 6-foot, ran in the 4.4s—he’s not all that different in terms of size than Stefon Diggs. 

“Again, I’m not suggesting a full-time role on the outside for Khalil Shakir, but can he give Buffalo 15, 20 snaps a game as an outright outside receiver? If the answer is yes, then the sky is the limit for him, because I think he could truly be one of the best route-running-slash-YAC receivers in the NFL that can play on the outside, that can play in the slot—those guys are pretty rare to find.”