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Bills HC singles out overlooked WR as a player who has exceeded expectations

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott offered additional praise for wide receiver Tyrell Shavers in a Thursday press conference.

Kyle Silagyi

Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers goes up to get a pass across the middle during route drills.
Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers goes up to get a pass across the middle during route drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is typically the epitome of even-keeled; he rarely shows significant emotion in press conferences or shares substantial praise, criticism, or general information, attempting to maintain as much of a competitive advantage as possible. 

He bucked this trend a bit during his Thursday training camp presser; he was asked if any players have exceeded expectations to this point in the summer, and after a slight dodging of the question by praising the general competitive nature of training camp, the sideline boss actually did single out a particular player:

Second-year wide receiver Tyrell Shavers.

“I think Shavers, overall, I mentioned before, he’s just so darn consistent in his daily approach,” McDermott said. “I just really appreciate it, he’s out there playing special teams. He had one of the better reps on special teams for us the other day. He’s doing a nice job, we’ll see where it goes.”

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The individual praise of Shavers is not all that surprising to members of the Buffalo faithful who have had one eye focused on St. John Fisher University over the past several weeks, as the wideout has received consistent praise from his coaches and teammates. McDermott previously stated that he was “very impressed” by what he had seen from the 24-year-old throughout camp before offensive coordinator Joe Brady praised his consistency; quarterback Josh Allen even got in on the applause, telling reporters that he was “rooting for” the sophomore.

Shavers was far from a household name entering camp, spending his rookie season on Buffalo’s practice squad after falling through the cracks of the 2023 NFL Draft. He wasn’t a consistent offensive contributor throughout his collegiate career, catching 66 passes for 983 yards and six touchdowns throughout stints at Alabama, Mississippi State, and San Diego State. He has shown offensive upside in training camp, however, putting his 6-foot-4 frame on display as he’s flashed when given time with the first and second teams. The first four receivers on Buffalo’s depth chart seem set in stone (Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, and Mack Hollins), but it’d be difficult to genuinely argue that there’s another receiver outside of those four who has had a better camp than Shavers.

Tyrell Shavers
Jul 27, 2023; Rochester NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers (80) enters the field of play during training camp at St. John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

McDermott also notes the wideout’s special teams ability, which is another avenue through which the sophomore can earn not only a spot on the 53-man roster, but a jersey on gamedays; Shavers established himself as one of the nation’s premier special teams gunners throughout his time at San Diego State, a role the Bills are looking to fill following the offseason departure of stalwart Siran Neal. 

As McDermott said regarding Shavers’ roster aspirations: “We’ll see where it goes.” He’s not yet a lock, but he’s positioned himself as well as any perceived roster long-shot possibly could entering the preseason; he’ll look to make additional impacts on Buffalo’s brass when the team’s preseason kicks off this Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. bout against the Chicago Bears.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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