Khalil Shakir

Latest On Bills’ Special Teams

July 7th, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills had to make a lot of tough decisions this offseason for the sake of the salary cap and their future. Buffalo has lost a number of big names like wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, pass rusher Leonard Floyd, and center Mitch Morse, but it’s also parted ways with a number of under-the-radar contributors, particularly on special teams, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News.

Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley is going to need to come up with some ideas for both returner jobs. The team let last year’s leading punt returner, Deonte Harty, depart for Baltimore in free agency, and while last season’s leading kick returners, Ty Johnson and Khalil Shakir, both return in 2024, Shakir may be needed more on offense with the departures of Diggs and Davis.

Shakir was a contributor on punt returns last year, as well. Now that he’s competing with rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman for the WR1 job, though, the Bills may want to do what they can to keep him fresh for the offense. One possible replacement is rookie sixth-round cornerback Daequan Hardy. The Penn State-product returned 17 punts for 248 yards and two touchdowns for the Nittany Lions last year. While moving from Harty to Hardy sounds easy enough, Hardy likely won’t make the roster for his return abilities alone. He’ll need to show that he can contribute on defense, as well to win the job.

Johnson should continue to work as the team’s main kickoff return man, but Smiley has iterated that both return jobs are wide open for competition. Smiley may also decide to continue utilizing Shakir if he’s truly the best option. The team also rosters veteran Andy Isabella. While Isabella has never caught on as an NFL receiver, he has experience returning kickoffs and punts from his time with the Cardinals.

The Bills also will need to replace the production of linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who remains a current free agent. In four years with the Bills, the veteran played almost exclusively as a special teamer, even earning a role as team captain for his special teams contributions in Buffalo. Similarly, former safety Siran Neal, now with the division-rival Dolphins, served as the team’s main gunner on punt coverage. Both players’ special teams efforts will need to be replaced.

Lastly, the team seems to be encouraging competition at the punter position, as well. Veteran Sam Martin has held the position for two seasons and is under contract for two more, but at one point this offseason, the Bills had three punters on the roster. Matt Haack was released before spring practices concluded, but undrafted free agent punter Jack Browning out of San Diego State is still on the roster and could push Martin through camp. It will take a lot for Browning to beat out Martin, though, as the veteran placed a career-best 47.1 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line last year.

Smiley has a lot of decisions to make over the next two months, but he seems really excited to see the guys he has on the roster compete this summer.

Latest On Bills’ WR Situation

July 2nd, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills will have several new faces at the receiver position in 2024 with Gabe Davis having departed in free agency and Stefon Diggs expectedly being traded away. Training camp will prove to be a crucial point in the offseason as Buffalo looks to rebuild its WR depth chart.

Plenty of uncertainty remains regarding the final roster spots, and performances this summer will dictate who survives final cuts. Before camp opens, however, a shortlist of wideouts can be considered locks to make the Bills. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg writes, returnee Khalil Shakir, free agent addition Curtis Samuel and second-round rookie Keon Coleman fall into that category.

Shakir is the only receiver currently on the roster who has caught a pass from Josh Allen in his career. The 24-year-old has operated in a rotational capacity to date, although his 15.8 yards per catch average suggests he could establish himself as a notable vertical threat in Buffalo’s passing game. Samuel has much more experience – 91 games, 58 starts – during his time with the Panthers and Commanders, although he has generally served in a complementary role.

Samuel, 27, has recorded more than 656 yards only once in his career (2020). He could manage to match or exceed his career-best 851 yards during his tenure in Buffalo if it includes starting duties, though. The former second-rounder signed a three-year deal with a base value of $24MM in March, so he will be expected to serve as a consistent producer for the Bills.

Coleman’s addition came about after Buffalo traded out of the first round. Allen supported the decision to draft the Florida State alum, whose size (6-4, 210 pounds) and jump-ball skills make him an intriguing prospect. Regardless of how he, Samuel and Shakir fare, second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid and lead running back James Cook are of course in line for an uptick in targets in 2024.

To little surprise, Getzenberg adds that Marquez Valdes-Scantling can also be considered a roster lock. The former Packers and Chiefs speedster joined the Bills on a one-year deal after dining with Allen. Valdes-Scantling has struggled with drops during his career, but he will provide Buffalo with a known commodity in the pass-catching corps during a season in which uncertainty is present.

Other wideouts like Mack Hollins, Chase Claypool, KJ Hamler and Andy Isabella are also in place to compete for a roster spot. Their performances over the course of the summer will be worth watching, but the bulk of Buffalo’s receiver room is in place based on where things currently stand.

AFC East Notes: Rapp, Bills, Parker, Amos

July 6th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

After starting 48 games for the Rams over the past four seasons, Taylor Rapp will head into the 2023 season as the Bills‘ third safety behind Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. While the 25-year-old free agent acquisition will provide Buffalo will top-end depth at the position, the team initially targeted Rapp as insurance for one of their starters.

As Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News writes, Bills safeties coach Joe Danna initially reached out to Rapp when the organization was uncertain if they’d be able to retain Poyer. The veteran ended up sticking around Buffalo on a two-year deal, and Rapp inked his one-year pact a few weeks later.

Rapp signed his contract understanding that he’d be a depth piece in Buffalo, but Bills defensive backs coach John Butler indicated that the newcomer’s versatility could afford him additional defensive snaps.

“Obviously, he understands he’s walking into a room with a ton of experience,” Butler told Skurski. “We love guys who have a versatile background. Just in the concept of their ability to play man, their ability to play zone, their ability to tackle, their ability to play the ball. I think he’s been a great addition to us and he’s fit in well, not only from a football player perspective but culturally. From a guy that just kind of is exactly what we want from a football DNA standpoint.”

Meanwhile, Rapp is more than happy to be playing alongside Poyer and Hyde.

“Those two guys, Micah and Jordan, those are the guys. They are very well established,” Rapp said. “Those guys are very special to this team, very special to this defense. Just finding different ways, unique ways to get the best 11 players out on the grass, whether that be different sub packages or different ways that I can get on the field to contribute. That doesn’t take away from getting on special teams. Just any way I can get on the field to contribute and ultimately help this team win a championship, that’s my goal, that’s all that I have in mind.”

More notes out of the AFC East…

With Isaiah McKenzie now in Indianapolis, the Bills will be looking for a wideout to step up behind Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Khalil Shakir, Deonte Harty, and Trent Sherfield are battling it out for the third spot on the WR depth chart, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. The writer opines that all three of the wideouts are likely to earn roster spots, with rookie sixth-round pick Justin Shorter likely getting the sixth and final spot on the depth chart.
DeVante Parker‘s three-year, $33MM extension with the Patriots created about $2.4MM in cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The wideout has fully guaranteed salaries in 2023 and 2024, and he can earn $14.7MM of his $33MM via statistical incentives (plus another $1.2MM in All-Pro incentives). Greg Auman of Fox Sports (on Twitter) ends up simplifying the contract to a three-year, $18MM pact.
Adrian Amos‘ one-year, $4MM deal with the Jets includes an $1.25MM guaranteed base salary and a $500K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter). The safety can earn up to $900K in playing time incentives, $500K in Pro Bowl bonuses, and $850K in playoff incentives.