There’s a lot of turnover in the wide receiver room for the Buffalo Bills. There is only one wide receiver who will still be in the room from 2023 to 2024 and that is Khalil Shakir. They did prioritize the wide receiver position in the off-season, but not how most fans thought or hoped for.
The biggest free agent they brought in though was a wide receiver in Curtis Samuel. They drafted Keon Coleman as their first pick in this 2024 NFL Draft. They also brought in other free agents Chase Claypool and Mack Hollins. So who did the Bills bring in that could potentially have their best season to date?
There are 3 that most likely could based on their previous production in their careers before the Bills. These 3 receivers are also playing with the best quarterback in their career thus far with Josh Allen, and there really isn’t too much of an argument in that regard.
3 wide receivers in line for career seasons with Josh Allen and the Bills
Curtis Samuel
Curtis Samuel has been a pretty solid player in his career thus far. In the last few seasons with the Washington Commanders, he wasn’t the focal point of that offense. It was mostly Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson who was their top receivers.
The Commanders also have been the victim of poor quarterback play with Sam Howell, Taylor Heinicke, and the “ghost” of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Before the Commanders, he also played with the Panthers and they also, you guessed it, had poor quarterback play as well. Samuel played with Teddy Bridgewater, Kyle Allen and Cam Newton who was at the tail end of his career.
His best season did come in the 2020 season, with 851 receiving yards, 200 rushing yards, 3 receiving touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns. This is also the year he had Joe Brady as his offensive coordinator.
So because Samuel is going to be a bigger piece of this offense than he was with the Commanders, and with the fact that he has a previous relationship with Brady, he can be a big time target for Josh Allen. Along with being a wide receiver, he can also be a benefit in the run game as well to keep defenses on their toes.
Mack Hollins
Hollins isn’t the best receiver on this roster, but he is a little slept on. Not only is he a bigger receiver who can be a red zone threat, but he offers a lot on both special teams and as a run blocker.
The common theme mentioned in the intro that is a part of Hollins’ career is playing with sub-par quarterbacks. He did play with Tua Tagovailoa in his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021 but was picked up by the Raiders before Tagovailoa broke out in 2022. He did not have much production in Philadelphia with the Eagles before he was traded to the Dolphins but did play on a Super Bowl-winning roster as a rookie with the Eagles and Carson Wentz at the helm.
In 2022 he had his best season by far as a part of the Las Vegas Raiders, with 57 catches, 690 yards and 4 touchdowns. That was with one of the better quarterbacks he had played with in Derek Carr. Last season in 2023, he played with Desmond Ridder, who was probably the worst quarterback and offense he has played with. Hollins may not have the same numbers as his 2022 season, but he could have similar numbers and possibly more touchdowns as well.
Chase Claypool
Claypool is most definitely the hardest player to say will have a career year with the Bills considering he isn’t going to be one of the top options in this passing offense. But what he can do, is re-invent himself as one of the better wide receivers in this league like he was back in Pittsburgh his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021.
In those two seasons, Claypool tallied 873 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns in 2020 and 860 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in 2021. He could potentially fight for anywhere from 400-500 yards as one of the last options in this passing game.
Definitely a far cry from one of the Top 3 options in Pittsburgh, but considering how many fewer targets he could get, that could be a better yards per catch average. Also, like Mack Hollins, he is a big body receiver who is a red zone threat, so he could potentially get more touchdowns than in his 2021 season.
Leave a Reply