Receiver Khalil Shakir has had a successful development since being drafted by the Buffalo Bills.
And he sees the potential for success this upcoming season for another young pass catcher on the team, in second-year pro Keon Coleman.
“He’s definitely taken that next big step for sure,” Shakir said. “He’s willing to learn, to grow, to come in here and work and grind. Anytime he has any questions, he’s not afraid to ask. And I think that’s different for younger guys. Usually it’s harder for them to speak what’s on their mind and say what’s on their chest, and he does. And that’s good.
“We want that because we don’t want you to be thinking anything and holding that in when everyone else has all this information for you to get better. So, he’s definitely not scared to say anything. He’s for sure showing up every single day, he’s definitely willing to take that next step, and he’s doing anything he can to do that.”
Bills GM Brandon Beane added a flush of competition to the receiver position this offseason, and the team is hoping to field the best results this season in gameplay as a result.
“The room is definitely gelling,” Shakir noted about the receiver’s group, which includes free agent additions Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore.
Shakir was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Boise State and was considered by the press to be a late-round steal.
His progression and dependability as a key part of the team’s offense have earned him a steady role in the passing game as NFL MVP Josh Allen’s go-to target, but also a four-year extension this offseason.
Shakir has brought stability and consistency to the passing game for Allen that’s been largely missing since slot receiver Cole Beasley’s tenure with the team.
For Coleman, the expectations are somewhat different, in that he essentially was a first-round graded receiver taken near the top of the second round of the 2024 draft due to a trade-down.
Even more notably, he was the receiver the team drafted after parting ways with both their WR1 and WR2 in Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Houston Texans, and Gabe Davis, who signed with his home state Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency.
While he showed some signs of transition as a young player, Coleman did show potential in limited action and opportunities last season, finishing second in receiving yards after Shakir. He also struggled a bit after coming back from injury later in the campaign.
He, his coaches, and teammates are looking for this year to be better.
Count his quarterback among those who see the potential impact the receiver can have for Buffalo’s offense.
“We’ve got an absolute beater outside there one-on-one. He’s coming into his own, and we’ve been talking each and every day,” Allen said to NFL Network. “He’s got so much potential. He’s so smart. Everyone wants to talk about the separation and this and that, but when that ball is in the air, it is his a lot of the times.
“I’m gonna continue to keep working with him and like I said, if teams wan’t to play that post high that he’s gotta go win for us and hopefully he’ll go win enough that they go back to playing that two high and we can start throwing to Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid, and Josh Palmer,” Allen added. “We’ve got a lot of guys that we feel very confident in.”
