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The injury that knocked Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir out of the team’s final day of practice does not appear to have kept him off the field for long.
Shakir was hurt during the team’s June 11 practice, with reporter Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 noting that he had to be helped off the field by trainers.
“Bills minicamp is over for today. WR Khalil Shakir left practice early with what appeared to be some sort of lower body injury,” Capaccio wrote on X. “He was chatting with trainers for a while, then limped off the field and into the fieldhouse and did not return.”
Though the injury gave a scare to Bills fans, Shakir is back on the field two weeks later and working out with a team legend.
Khalil Shakir Gets ‘Back in the Laboratory’
On June 22, Shakir took to his Instagram page to show videos of his workout with former Bills receiver Eric Moulds. Though Shakir appeared to be wearing a compression sleeve during the workout, he showed little effects from the injury that had initially forced him out of the end of minicamp.
The initial injury came during a passing drill at practice. Reporter Alex Brasky of the Batavia Daily noted that Shakir was shaken up after falling hard to the turf.
“Khalil Shakir sustained an apparent injury near the beginning of team drills at #Bills Tuesday mandatory minicamp,” Brasky wrote on X. “Shakir went up to make a catch during 7 on 7 and came down hard as the pass fell incomplete. Trainers tended to him then later he left the practice field.”
The team had not given an official update on Shakir’s injury, but he now seems on track to return for the start of training camp later in July.
Shakir had a breakout season in 2023, making 39 catches for 611 yards and two touchdowns. His production accelerated over the final stretch of the season, when top receiver Stefon Diggs hit a slump. In the final seven games of the regular season, Shakir made 30 catches for 438 yards with both of his touchdowns coming during that stretch.
His production continued into the postseason, when he added another 10 catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s two playoff games last season.
Third-Year Receiver Earned Praise from Bills OC
Shakir’s uptick in performance last season coincided with the rise of Joe Brady to offensive coordinator. Brady took over the role after the team fired Ken Dorsey, with the majority of Shakir’s production for the season coming under the new offensive coordinator.
During the team’s OTAs, Brady shared some praise for Shakir and predicted an even bigger role in the coming year.
“The intelligence that I talk about, that is Khalil Shakir,” Brady said, via Matt Bove of WKBW. “When he’s out there, and his feel of the zones, and understanding man coverage, he can play outside or play inside, you know he’s everything you look for in a wide receiver.”
Shakir is the team’s top returning wide receiver after the departures of Diggs and Gabe Davis earlier this offseason.
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