The Buffalo Bills signed free agent Elijah Moore to a one-year contract this week following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL draft. Moore’s arrival after prior stints with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns creates an overcrowded group of wide receivers heading toward training camp.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Moore’s deal features a maximum value of $5 million. It’s a high-upside signing that carries minimal risk since the Bills could release the 25-year-old wideout before the start of the regular season without much financial penalty should he fail to impress.
Buffalo typically carries five receivers on its final roster. That number could increase to six this year because of the positional depth. Either way, the battle for the last few spots will be intense. A few high-profile cuts will be necessary, barring a rash of injuries.
Power Ranking Bills Wide Receivers For 2025 NFL Season
1. Khalil Shakir
Shakir isn’t a prototypical No. 1 receiver. He doesn’t have the size of Ja’Marr Chase, the speed of Tyreek Hill, or the catch radius of Justin Jefferson. Yet, he’s steadily improved across three NFL seasons to emerge as a reliable go-to target for MVP quarterback Josh Allen.
The Boise State product is coming off a 2024 campaign where he tallied 76 catches for 821 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games. His 79.3 percent catch percentage since the start of the 2023 season ranks among the NFL’s elite.
Khalil Shakir pic.twitter.com/XKK6SRwbD6
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 23, 2025
Buffalo’s search for a true No. 1 target will continue in the coming years. Shakir is holding down the fort just fine for now, though.
2. Joshua Palmer
Palmer showed the ability to consistently create separation against man coverage during his four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s an area Bills wide receivers have struggled in recent seasons. So, it was a match made in free-agent heaven.
His overall target share won’t see a major jump in Buffalo—it may even decrease from last year’s 65 targets in L.A.—because of the team’s “everybody eats” approach. His importance in terms of per-snap production will be far higher, however.
3. Keon Coleman
Coleman is entering a critical year in his development. The 2024 second-round pick was just starting to find his stride as a rookie when he suffered a wrist injury. The setback came on the heels of a two-game stretch where he recorded nine catches for 195 yards and a touchdown.
The Louisiana native wasn’t the same after returning from the injury. He failed to record more than three catches in any of his final seven appearances. That includes just one reception in each of Buffalo’s three playoff games as he struggled to get open with any regularity.
Coleman still has plenty of upside, but the Bills are in win-now mode. He could fall down the depth chart quickly if he struggles in training camp.
4. Elijah Moore
Moore opens his Buffalo tenure as a strong bet to make the 53-man roster. Although his NFL numbers haven’t lived up to expectations since being selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, it’s important to note he’s yet to play alongside a top-tier quarterback like Allen.
QBs to start more than 3 games during Elijah Moore’s career so far:
* Zach Wilson
* Mike White
* Deshaun Watson
* Joe Flacco
* Dorian Thompson Robinson
* PJ Walker
* Jameis WinstonYou know what I’m going to say next, right? pic.twitter.com/YAmpP1Pqff
— Patrick Moran (Talking Buffalo) (@PatrickMoranTB) April 28, 2025
Like Palmer, the former Ole Miss standout is adept at getting open against man coverage. That was clearly an emphasis for general manager Brandon Beane this offseason. It brings some much-needed balance to the receiver corps, and makes the group more dangerous as a whole.
5. Tyrell Shavers
This is where things get interesting. As mentioned, the Bills could keep an extra wide receiver this season because of their depth. Nevertheless, the players lower on the depth chart will likely need to contribute at least a little bit on special teams.
Not only is Shavers capable of filling that role, but he’s also a strong candidate to take over some of the blocking responsibilities that opened up when Mack Hollins left in free agency to sign with the New England Patriots. Those factors put him inside the cut line for now.
6. Laviska Shenault Jr.
Shenault’s fate is tied heavily to whether he beats out cornerback Brandon Codrington to serve as the Bills’ chief kick and punt returner. If he does, Buffalo’s chances of carrying six wideouts increase greatly. The 2020 second-round pick would also see some occasional snaps on offense as a niche vertical threat.
7. Curtis Samuel
Samuel is in trouble when it comes to making the Bills roster. The Palmer and Moore signings put him third in the pecking order for that man-separator role, and the 28-year-old veteran is not a factor on special teams at this point in his career. He’ll need a standout camp to survive the cuts.
Let’s combine MVS & Cooper into one player. Here are the 2024 #Bills WR snap counts
721 – Mack Hollins
————————— Hänsel (@UberHansen) May 1, 2025
8. Kaden Prather
The Bills selected Prather in the seventh round of this year’s draft. He’s got an impressive combination of size (6’4”, 204 pounds) and athleticism, but it never translated into high-end production during college stops at West Virginia and Maryland. He’s a developmental project likely destined for the practice squad.
Others: KJ Hamler, Jalen Virgil, Hal Presley, Kelly Akharaiyi, Stephen Gosnell
Hamler and Virgil are returnees. The other three Bills wide receivers listed were undrafted free-agent signings. Two of the players from this group will probably join Prather on the practice squad. None of them are serious 53-man roster candidates, barring serious injury issues in Buffalo.
Main Photo: [Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean] – USA Today Sports
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