Buffalo Bills wide receiver Elijah Moore. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills' biggest 53-man roster upset is primed to happen at wide receiver

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 8:55 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills signed wide receiver Elijah Moore earlier this offseason to add some much-needed depth to the position.

However, as final cuts draw near (Aug. 27), it's becoming more and more possible — if not likely — that Moore won't make the 53-man roster.

Moore was blanked in the preseason opener before reeling in just one catch for five yards on Sunday night. Making matters worse for him, Moore, who hasn't been all that impressive in training camp, either, dropped a pair of passes.

Meanwhile, Tyrell Shavers has been one of the biggest standouts throughout the offseason, including in the preseason, where he has four catches for 99 yards.

In the opinion of Bills beat writer Alex Brasky, Moore may not have done enough to this point to earn a roster spot over guys like Shavers, Laviska Shenault, and even Kristian Wilkerson.

"Elijah Moore had another forgettable evening, dropping two passes while finishing with just one catch for five yards," Brasky wrote. "At this point, while they have differing skill sets, you would have to say Shavers has done more to prove his case as a roster candidate than Moore. Even beyond Shavers, Laviska Shenault, who got another opportunity to return kicks on Sunday, or Kristian Wilkerson may have done more than Moore at this stage of the preseason."

We can confidently say that the Bills have three roster locks at wide receiver in Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. From there, things are wide open.

Curtis Samuel is the next-closest thing to a lock, but his inability to stay healthy this offseason could hurt his chances of making the cut. If he can, however, make it through the rest of the offseason, Samuel is almost certainly going to make the roster.

If he does, that'll leave two spots up for grabs, at most. We could most definitely see those spots going to Shavers and Shenault, the latter of whom has extra value as a returner.

You wouldn't expect a veteran like Moore to have to save himself in a preseason finale, but that might be the case when the Bills take the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.