BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — It didn’t take very long for the Bills to pivot from the motto “everybody eats.” Are more changes in store for the team at wide receiver heading into the 2025 season?
The subject of a No. 1 receiver — or lack thereof — has been a hot topic for the Bills ever since the team traded Stefon Diggs to Houston. And it was again a hot topic after the Bills came up short in the AFC championship game against Kansas City.
“Yeah, I think No. 1’s are great. They’re hard to find,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
For all of Buffalo’s success on offense this past season — the team was second in scoring and ninth in passing — the Bills did not get top-end production from their wide receiver group. Buffalo did not have a single receiver top 1,000 yards on the season. The Bills’ leading receiver was slot receiver Khalil Shakir, who finished with 821 yards and four touchdowns on 76 receptions. Rookie Keon Coleman had 556 yards and four touchdowns on 29 receptions, Mack Hollins had 378 yards and five touchdowns on 31 receptions, and Amari Cooper — Buffalo’s big trade acquisition, which marked a shift from the “everybody eats” era — finished the year with 297 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions in eight games.
In each of his four seasons with the Bills, Diggs topped the 1,000-yard mark — and he even topped 1,500 yards back in 2020 (1,535 yards, eight touchdowns).
Cooper and Coleman ultimately finished their 2024 campaigns with similar results. Both had a handful of standout moments, but both also struggled with inconsistent play as well as injuries. Cooper and Coleman both dealt with wrist injuries at different points in the season, and Cooper also had a back injury. A doctor had recommended surgery on Cooper’s wrist, but he chose to play through it.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke at length about both receivers at the team’s season wrap-up press conference on Thursday.
“Sometimes when you add a piece, it’s what does it do for the group,” Beane said. “The games that Amari played in, our offense averaged (over a touchdown more) a game. And so I do think Amari helped our offense. … Did he put up All-Pro numbers in the games he was here? No. I think that’s for various reasons. Again, our offense improved. … I do not regret the move. I think it did help us despite what his personal numbers were.”
Cooper’s presence did help the offense. In the eight games he appeared in Buffalo averaged 35.5 points per game, while without him they averaged 26.8 points per game across nine contests.
“Just resiliency,” Cooper said Monday at the team’s locker cleanout. “Been through a lot this year, injuries, trades, things of that nature. The biggest differentiator between people who are successful versus not successful, it’s just their will to just keep going. So just keep going and never stop until you know it’s time to stop.”
Beane said that Coleman wasn’t the same player after he returned from injury, but the Bills still believe in his upside.
“Probably was a little disappointed in the return from the injury,” Beane said. “I did not see the same player down the stretch from a physicality (standpoint), some of the things that he needs to use his size. Some of that is youth, some of that is I’m not sure how many injuries he’s had to overcome in-season and come back.”
“I wish he had finished the season stronger. But we had honest, direct conversations with Keon. He’s a young player. We’ve got to remember he’s 21 years old, and some of the guys that get drafted in the first round are 24 or 25. So let’s give him a little grace here. His career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. He has a skill set that we think will play well in this offense, but it’s up to him.”
After signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Bills in free agency, Curtis Samuel struggled in his first season as a Bill — though he did have a pivotal touchdown in Buffalo’s loss to the Chiefs.
One receiver who did exceed expectations was Mack Hollins. Hollins was initially expected to play primarily on special teams, but he ended up being a key component of the offense and had a standout performance against Kansas City.
Hollins, just like Cooper, is set to become a free agent, however — which only adds to Buffalo’s questions going forward at wide receiver.
The Bills could take a swing at a future No. 1 receiver in the draft, where they are set to pick 30th overall. Beane said that he doesn’t expect the Bills to be a major player in free agency — although he did offer a similar sentiment ahead of breaking the bank for Von Miller in 2022.
“Difference-makers (at wide receiver) are out there,” McDermott said. “You’ve just got to find them.”
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Mark Ludwiczak joined the News 4 team in 2024. He is a veteran journalist with two decades of experience in Buffalo. You can follow him online at @marklud12.
WIVB News 4’s Aidan Joly contributed to this story.