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The Buffalo Bills have gone through some big changes on offense this offseason, losing their top two wide receivers with the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.
The team’s top returning wide receiver sees an opportunity in the situation. After a breakout season in 2023, Khalil Shakir predicted the Bills will have an offense where “everybody eats” next season, led by new offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
New Role for Khalil Shakir
After spending his first two seasons in Buffalo firmly entrenched behind Diggs and Davis on the depth chart, Shakir is expected to be one of the major pieces next season. Brady, who took over as offensive coordinator after the Bills fired Ken Dorsey midseason, said he is impressed with Shakir’s instincts on the field.
“The intelligence that I talk about, that is Khalil Shakir,” Brady said during OTAs, 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.”
As Bove noted, Shakir saw a sharp uptick in production once Brady took over. In the final seven games of the regular season, he made 30 catches for 438 yards with two touchdowns, surpassing the slumping Diggs. Shakir continued to shine in the postseason, making 10 catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s two playoff games last season.
Shakir said this week that he enjoyed playing under Brady and was looking forward to a full season with him at the helm.
“When you’re a new guy and you come in, it’s like you hit the jackpot,” Shakir said. “He’s a great dude, great coach, and you want to work hard for him.”
Bills Expected to Spread Targets Next Season
As Shakir hinted, the Bills are expected to spread the ball out more after the departures of Diggs and Davis. The team added some veteran pass-catchers, including wide receivers Chase Claypool, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Curtis Samuel.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid is also expected to take on a big role, building on a rookie season where he made 73 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns. Talking to reporters this week, Kincaid echoed Shakir’s prediction that the team will spread the ball to many players next season.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the guy. I think we have quite a bit of weapons on offense,” he said, via SB Nation’s Rachel Auberger. “You know, we’re going to open everybody up, and with Josh back there, he’s going to get everybody the ball. I think definitely a couple more targets this year, which will be nice.”
Kincaid also shared some excitement about getting a full season under Brady, who lost the interim tag and was hired as the permanent offensive coordinator after the conclusion of the season.
“I wouldn’t say [it changed] a ton, but there’s a lot of tweaks we’ve made since last year,” Kincaid said. “I think the creativity and kind of freedom he has right now in terms of just testing things out is super helpful.”
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