Bills riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseason

It’s not that the Bills’ wide receiver group is bad. But there’s a potential problem with the current makeup.

First, let’s get things clear. Josh Allen could take a group of so-so wide receivers and make them passable. However, the idea for the Bills isn’t winning more games than they lose. The idea is, first and foremost, winning the Super Bowl.

And not having dynamic wide receivers puts too much pressure on Allen in the biggest games of the year.

Yes, Khalil Shakir had a decent season in 2024. But he fell short of even 1,000 yards. And if you look at Mike Clay’s projections, it could be a similar year for Shakir in 2025

Clay tabbed Shakir and Keon Coleman both getting 850-plus yards. He gave Coleman seven scores and Shakir four. Those seem like spot-on projections. And that’s why the Bills took a gamble with their 2025 offseason approach.

They could have — should have — brought in a WR1. With only a third-round pick needed to secure George Pickens, why didn’t the Bills get in the mix with the Cowboys and try to get him? Imagine Allen having the luxury of a downfield threat like Pickens.

Character concerns, perhaps? But the Bills are so close to getting over the top. Wouldn’t Pickens have been worth the risk?

Will the Bills’ in-house group of receivers be enough in big games?

The easy argument is the Bills have taken a bigger chance by deciding to roll with Shakir, Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Laviska Shenault Jr. That’s a sad sack of receivers, no matter what Bills general manager Brandon Beane says.

Beane is defending his risky move. And he should. But it’s still, “I know more than you do.” The problem is, Beane doesn’t have a ring with the Bills. Other teams have them. So who knows more?

He said the Bills finished with the second-highest points-per-game total in the regular season in 2024, according to nfl.com. However, that logic doesn’t win because the Bills lost in the playoffs.

“Let’s be realistic,” Beane said. “Our job is not to have — it’s not fantasy football, to trot out the best receivers. We’ve got Josh Allen. First thing you’ve got to do is protect him. You can’t have everything. You can’t have Pro Bowl wide receivers and have a Pro Bowl offensive line and an All-Pro quarterback and three great running backs. You’ve got to pick. Sure, I’d love to play fantasy football, but there’s one football. You can’t give it to so many people. Our job is to score points. If you score points at the level we scored, that is winning football.”

No, Brandon Beane. That’s not your job. The job is to win the Super Bowl. The Bills fell short last year. The receivers need to be better.

Don’t miss this point. Look at the loss to the Chiefs. Mack Hollins had 73 yards to lead the team. Running back James Cook was second with 49. Shakir had 46. Amari Cooper 33. Those are not winning numbers in the playoffs.

Furthermore, the guy at the top of that list plays for the Patriots now.

Brandon Beane has rolled the dice

Let’s see if he hits the magic number this year.

It’s easy to see that Sean McDermott gets it. He can only use what Beane gives him, so he’s going hard on Coleman to emerge as a true WR1 this season, according to Sports Illustrated.

“As far as Keon goes, I thought he had an up and down first season,” McDermott said. “I really do, and I mentioned that after the year. I thought he got off to a start that he built momentum through, and then he got injured, and then from there on, it was rather rocky, I would say.

“We’re looking for him to learn from those moments of adversity, and come back and have a really strong offseason. And get himself going into the start of Season 2 here.”

That’s all McDermott can do. Play the cards he’s dealt. The tough thing is this might be last rodeo for McDermott with the Bills. It hasn’t been for a lack of success. But the fan base wants to see the team back in the Super Bowl. And McDermott and Beane haven’t been able to deliver that prize.