This Bills position group features one of the NFL's 'top training camp battles'

CBS Sports will be closely watching the Buffalo Bills receiving corps throughout the team's upcoming training camp.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 15, 2024

Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) runs the ball pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) 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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The Buffalo Bills enter their 2024 training camp with a retooled roster uncharacteristic of the team’s current brass; significant alterations to Buffalo’s roster have been few and far between over the past few years as the team has attempted to elongate its Super Bowl window, but this isn’t the case entering the new campaign, as the Bills parted ways with stalwart starters like Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse, and Gabriel Davis in the offseason.

And though there’s not a large number of roster spots to be won throughout camp, there are potentially significant roles to be earned, particularly in the revamped receiving corps that lost Diggs and Davis in the spring. Third-year pass-catcher Khalil Shakir, free agent signee Curtis Samuel, and rookie Keon Coleman figure to lead the way, with veteran journeymen Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling penciled onto the depth chart in complementary roles. The likes of Chase Claypool, Andy Isabella, K.J. Hamler, Justin Shorter, and Tyrell Shavers are competing for one or two roster spots.

It’s the availability of targets at the top of the unit (Diggs and Davis leave behind a combined 241 targets) and the general hodgepodge nature of the group that has piqued the interest of CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin, who recently identified Buffalo’s wide receivers room as one of the league’s most interesting position battles to watch throughout training camp.

“No longer deploying a bona fide No. 1 after Stefon Diggs' exit, the Bills are instead set to lean on a plethora of chess pieces,” Benjamin wrote. “Samuel and Shakir are prime candidates to man the slot, with Valdes-Scantling serving as the outside deep threat and Coleman using his jump-ball skills in the red area.”

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs 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

As Benjamin alludes to, the Bills do figure to take a democratic approach to aerial production sans Diggs; no longer having a proven alpha wideout who expects a bulk of the targets, quarterback Josh Allen will have the opportunity to spread the ball around, something that could allow for increased offensive cohesion and perhaps better efficiency.

Benjamin mentions both Samuel and Shakir as “prime” slot candidates, but the latter seems the more likely person for the job; he emerged down the stretch of his sophomore season as he became a mainstay on 11 personnel sets, catching 20 passes for 363 yards after Joe Brady was promoted to interim offensive coordinator midway through the campaign. His role will increase in 2024, with Samuel projecting as a versatile weapon who sees time both out wide and in the backfield; Brady recently stated that the 27-year-old will do “a little bit of everything” for the offense.

The writer is perhaps a bit bullish on Valdes-Scantling, as he may be attributing some of Coleman’s role to the back-to-back Super Bowl champion. A trait-sy big-bodied pass-catcher who does figure to have a prominent offensive role, the Bills are likely hoping for some down-field production from Coleman, as he currently projects as the team’s X wide receiver.

We’d also be remiss to discuss Buffalo’s aerial attack without mentioning second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid, who notched 91 targets as a rookie. His role, too, figures to increase given the departures of Diggs and Davis, and he could reasonably finish the 2024 season as the Bills’ target leader.

Though it’s easy to project what we think Buffalo’s receiving corps will ultimately look like, circumstances will shift through camp as some players emerge, unexpected roles become more suitable for certain players, etc. It’s why it’s one of the league’s most interesting training camp battles—we don’t yet know who will be the primary wide receiver for one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The competition will start when the Bills’ training camp kicks off on July 24.

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