Joe Buscaglia on Bills Evolving and Improved Receiver Room-- The Athletic

[dollars 2 donuts]

38 minutes ago, dorquemada said:

 

Agreed 100%.  It's strange, the offense just feels smoother with him in there, even if he hasnt lit up the stat sheet yet.  Allen trusts him

 

 

Tomas (of course you know) and further honestly I am comfortable with him capping at 2 receptions a game (34) next year.

 

Don't get me wrong, i would love more.  However, I think even at 2 (maybe 3) a game he provides something valuable and unique compared to some of the other guys.

 

...with the Allen trust being so key.

 

 

[BRH]

3 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

That's what Micah Parsons went for. I can't remember the last time a player went for more than that. Jefferson is an equal caliber of player at an equally premium position. Like with the Parsons deal maybe we have to throw in some player as part of the deal.

 

Those two first rounders that the Colts gave up for Sauce are creeping up the board every week.

[billsfan_34]

4 hours ago, The Tomcat said:

2 firsts for Justin Jefferson!

Moves like this set your franchise back. Most receivers are NFL ready or close to out of college. Draft a stud, virtually no cap hit, and save your other pick(s) or player(s) or both.

[BillsShredder83]

2 hours ago, Craig Oi said:

In most of the mock drafts that I have seen that have us taking a WR in the 1st it's been someone like Boston or another big tall red zone threat, not much speed in this draft ,what little there is will be long gone by the time we are on the clock , guessing mid 20's

 

Yeah the top of this one isnt overly impressive, but a few id be ok taking where we usually draft.  I think we need to trade for someoneestablished.

 

Also Trey Lance has a younger brother that plays WR at N.Dakota (NDSU? or just NDakota, green and yellow team), Bryce Lance.  Projected in 3rd-5th rd range.  Seems like a guy we should be super interested in (as an option, not THE option). But overall, shocking how little speed there is coming outta this one.

 

People won't like it, but I'm 1,000% OK taking a slot guy if the value is better overall there.  We need a volume guy, needs to be durable.  Shakir aint a volume guy.  No hate on him, but Josh never looked better than when we had Beasley.  Look what JSN brings to the table in Seattle.  

 

If someone like Makai Lemon falls anywhere near us, we need to go grab dude.  Also, big fan of KC Concepcion!

Edited 23 hours ago by BillsShredder83

[BillsShredder83]

16 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Moves like this set your franchise back. Most receivers are NFL ready or close to out of college. Draft a stud, virtually no cap hit, and save your other pick(s) or player(s) or both.

Id be all for making a sizeable trade up to get the right guy in the draft, 100%.  I do not know their is a guy like that coming out this year unfortunately 😕

 

Still some season left for some of these guys though, plus Senior Bowl.  Not too late for someone to distance themselves from the pack

[Augie]

35 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Moves like this set your franchise back. Most receivers are NFL ready or close to out of college. Draft a stud, virtually no cap hit, and save your other pick(s) or player(s) or both.

 

If we did a deal like that with multiple high picks I would immediately try to make a wager that a season ending injury was in his future. NOT wishing it upon anyone, but lets face it…..

 

At least that way I get one win, unfortunately probably in the form of a bet won. Going all in is great, but only  if you get it right and stay lucky. Or you could go bold by paying 4 players big and have nothing else to put around them, like the Bengals*. 

 

 I didn’t hate the Von deal at all, but we’ll never know what might have been. He looked good until the injury. 🤷‍♂️

 

 

I do expect them to attack the WR position the way they did the OL, then the DL last year. I have no idea who, but I expect them to address WR more seriously in FA and the draft than they have in the past. The good news is two, or even one guy can move the needle. On the lines you need a bunch of guys, at WR we need A guy.  

 

 

* Speaking of the Bengals, NFLN just had the game replay on. It was shockingly obvious with a calm mind that Higgins was rocked after repeatedly banging his head on the ground. How was that allowed to continue?  I don’t do sports channels on TV or radio the way I used to, but I hope that got some attention. 

[Tanoros]

9 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

No. The Aiyuk from say 5 years ago,sure.  But not now

He is only 27 years old. And his last year before his injury he was looking really good. 

[KentuckyBillsFan]

12 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

People are enamored with the idea that the Bills should pick WR in 1st round. Only about 1 out of 5 chosen become 1,000 plus yard receivers and most don’t get there until 3 seasons in.  I am not saying do not make the pick if a candidate is there.

 

I’m simply saying that the pick is not a lock.

No pick is a lock

[Richard Noggin]

 

Return of the Clap 

 

(sung to the tune of "Return of the Mack" OF COURSE)

[BringMetheHeadofLeonLett]

In the end, Josh Allen still needs to run for the team's any hope right now.  
 

Tell me any great QB who knows only that is the best way to keep a drive alive- It's not like the guy can't throw a ball. 
 

I still like our chaces this year- but god dammit - get the guy a very ***** excellent receiver next year

 

and ONE goddamn Linebacker

[JohnNord]

19 hours ago, Casey D said:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6876753/2025/12/10/buffalo-bills-wide-receivers-josh-allen/?source=athletic_user_shared_article_email&smid=em-share-ta

 

Behind a paywall, but an interesting read.  His basic take is that the Bills receiver room, while still not great, has evolved into something serviceable.  Davis, Shakir and Shavers have settled in as the prime trio, with Shavers being the Hollins from 2024.  Palmer should be the 4th when healthy, and then the issue is who is the 5th, Cooks or Coleman.  Buscaglia feels Cooks brings better complementary skills than Coleman, so Coleman most likely to sit if Bills go with the usual five receivers.

 

Room will need overhaul in 2026, but this group might be good enough for the Bills to be a force in playoffs.

The frustrating thing about the WR room is that many of us saw this coming and wanted them to draft a WR high in the draft, and then another one mid-round.  
 

I think that Beane was overly optimistic that Coleman would be a force for them, thar Samuel could improve, and that Palmer would give them something they were lacking.  Sadly none of these three scenarios panned out.  
 

The biggest problem on this roster is WR and they are holding back the offense led by an elite QB

[ScottishBills]

13 hours ago, BillsShredder83 said:

 

 

People won't like it, but I'm 1,000% OK taking a slot guy if the value is better overall there.  We need a volume guy, needs to be durable.  Shakir aint a volume guy.  No hate on him, but Josh never looked better than when we had Beasley.  Look what JSN brings to the table in Seattle.  

 

 

 

Great point. There is a lot of chat here that we need outside guys, we already have a slot and very few available snaps there, Shakir is a top slot

 

And yet week after week we see actual top players getting their biggest gains out the slot - JSN as you mention, Puka appearing from there, Amon Ra is well over 50% slot, Olave and Chase 30% out the slot, Devonta Smith over 40%, CeeDee 33%, Drake London over 40%?

 

Any why? Because getting a talented player a free release is pretty pretty good

 

People can argue over Shakir's talent level, but its undeniably a waste to use a whole set of snaps and those free releases to park a guy at the line of scrimmage surely? That release should surely be used to get that guy (whoever it is) down the field on occasion?

 

*Not an Xs and Os or scheme guy, pretty basic knowledge, so happy to be shouted down if i have misunderstood what is going on here - but i definitely see top guys coming out the slot with no-one near them - so there should never be any argument to not get talented guys because we don't have slot snaps available. We dont get anywhere near enough out of that spot - as noted its not even as much as Beasley was getting - its a bunch of low ADOT plays where Shakir sometimes pinballs off guys and gets 8-15 yards (which he is pretty good at to be fair)

[ProcessTruster]

Just give me Palmer, Hardman, Shakir, and Kincaid healthy for the tourney and we are good.   Gabe, 14, and Knox are nice to have. 

 

We'll be on the road in any scenario, so just want to beat the Browns and Jets and I am good.  Regular season is pretty much those two games.   

 

Who cares whether the Pats win the division.?  Better they have a 1st place schedule next season.  

Edited 7 hours ago by ProcessTruster

[T master]

This is for the Bills WR roster ...

[Jrb1979]

16 hours ago, billsfan_34 said:

Moves like this set your franchise back. Most receivers are NFL ready or close to out of college. Draft a stud, virtually no cap hit, and save your other pick(s) or player(s) or both.

I disagree. If that move gets to a Super Bowl championship, than it's all worth it. I don't care if in 2-3 years the team sucks and back to the drought era. 

Look at the Eagles, in 3 seasons from now they are going to be a bad football team due to all the big void contracts in 2028 and beyond. They won a Super Bowl so it was worth it. 

[PoundingDog]

1 hour ago, Jrb1979 said:

I disagree. If that move gets to a Super Bowl championship, than it's all worth it. I don't care if in 2-3 years the team sucks and back to the drought era. 

Look at the Eagles, in 3 seasons from now they are going to be a bad football team due to all the big void contracts in 2028 and beyond. They won a Super Bowl so it was worth it. 

But the Eagles are not there because they spend all the money on one guy. They drafted pretty well when they had the chance - Jalen carter, Jordan Davis, Cooper DeJean for examples.

 

A friend of mine working for a sports agency had a chance working along side a former GM who did consulting for them. He said the simplest way to look at the money perspective is 22 starters averaging $10 million each for the season, which would take up $220 million. The rest of the cap $50-60 million taking care of the rest 32 guys on the roster.  If you have a super star, like Allen who will be counting $60+ million in 2026, then you need to find 5 capable guys in the 22 starters to make next to nothing. For Justin Jefferson who is making $35 million, you are asking 2.5 guys in the 22 to make next to nothing. Guys making next to nothing but is capable of starting are typically your 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks. Every year you get to draft 3. Allowing 1/3 failure rate (which is really an unrealistic drafting record), you are talking about 3 year of good drafting to make it work.

 

How many starters the Bills have that makes almost nothing? If don't have enough from your draft, you have to fill from the scrap yard. We are lucky to find guys like Edwards. But the more likelihood is guys like Poyer, White who really should not be your starters.

 

Note the signing of Joey Bosa is not a scrap yard move. You paid for a quality starter and he gave you just that, at least so far. 

[hondo in seattle]

I'm not sure who the starting receivers will be for us come playoffs.  Shakir is the only stud and we can argue about who the duds are.  

 

But I hope Joe's basic premise is right.  Our WR room isn't good but maybe the right trio elevates us into the "Not Bad" category.

[finn]

23 hours ago, gjv said:

I think Coleman will ask to be traded or released at the end of the Bills season.

At least they could use the box of tape they would get for him. 

[Mikey152]

2 hours ago, PoundingDog said:

But the Eagles are not there because they spend all the money on one guy. They drafted pretty well when they had the chance - Jalen carter, Jordan Davis, Cooper DeJean for examples.

 

A friend of mine working for a sports agency had a chance working along side a former GM who did consulting for them. He said the simplest way to look at the money perspective is 22 starters averaging $10 million each for the season, which would take up $220 million. The rest of the cap $50-60 million taking care of the rest 32 guys on the roster.  If you have a super star, like Allen who will be counting $60+ million in 2026, then you need to find 5 capable guys in the 22 starters to make next to nothing. For Justin Jefferson who is making $35 million, you are asking 2.5 guys in the 22 to make next to nothing. Guys making next to nothing but is capable of starting are typically your 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks. Every year you get to draft 3. Allowing 1/3 failure rate (which is really an unrealistic drafting record), you are talking about 3 year of good drafting to make it work.

 

How many starters the Bills have that makes almost nothing? If don't have enough from your draft, you have to fill from the scrap yard. We are lucky to find guys like Edwards. But the more likelihood is guys like Poyer, White who really should not be your starters.

 

Note the signing of Joey Bosa is not a scrap yard move. You paid for a quality starter and he gave you just that, at least so far. 

I think that this is the whole point...

 

Of course the Bills should try and upgrade WR when the chance presents itself, but we can't pretend like acquiring players doesn't come with a cost. Acquiring the type of WR some of the armchair GMs around here want comes with a big cost. Quite honestly, if Brady and this offense sticks around, im not sure there is any way a top flight WR is worth what it would take to get them, unless you get lucky and find a guy like St. Brown or Nakua late in the draft.

 

 

[Rocbillsfan1]

On 12/11/2025 at 8:28 AM, PaattMaann said:

the 2026 discussion is interesting...

 

You would assume Davis and Cooks are gone. 

 

Healthy Palmer (fingers crossed, but can we count on that from a planning perspective?), Shakir, Shavers, Coleman (he isn't going to get cut if I'm betting, just doesn't make financial sense) and a rookie or 2? Is THAT good enough? I guess it depends on who the rookie(s) is and their impact. We aren't going to be spending in FA because we don't have the money.

 

Swing a trade for a disgruntled Justin Jefferson? I don't know. 

I see it as Shakir, Palmer, Shavers back on the team for next year. That leaves 3 spots open. I am all in on double dipping on WR in the draft so there's 2 more spots. Last spot is a fight between Coleman and another potential vet getting added to the battle. 

 

I was actually thinking of starting a to early mock draft thread but didn't. I actually am not that high on Lemon but I'm still just digging into wrs. I'd give the early nod to Bell and Boston or potentially even Brazzell. Brazzell could be somebody that rises up if he has a great combine. 

 

I like Singleton, Antonio Williams, or a flyer on Nyck Harbor later on.

 

Also, if a guy like Germie Bernard is there in the second it would be hard to pass up. Would love to have something like Bell in round 1 and Bernard in round 2.

Edited 1 hour ago by Rocbillsfan1