Former Boise State star Khalil Shakir — Josh Allen’s favorite target — suffers high ankle sprain

Khalil Shakir emerged as the favorite target of star quarterback Josh Allen during the 2024 NFL season, catching 76 passes for 821 yards and four touchdowns.

Allen went on to win his first NFL Most Valuable Player award with Shakir leading the Buffalo Bills in receiving. 

Shakir, a former standout receiver at Boise State who signed a four-year contract extension in February, suffered a high ankle sprain during practice on Friday. Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced that Shakir will be week-to-week, endangering his status for the team’s Sept. 7 opener against the Baltimore Ravens. 

“He’s dealt with one before,” McDermott said on Sunday. “He’s extremely tough, a big part of our offense. It's gonna take some time, high ankles normally do. So it’s an opportunity for, again, somebody else to show us what they’ve got. And we'll see how that goes.”

With Shakir sidelined, the Bills could turn to a pair of young receivers in Tyrell Shavers and Kristian Wilkerson. 

“Those two, I think, have done a really good job,” McDermott said. “Shavers has been with us, so we certainly know him a little bit more and have had a broader sample with him. Wilkerson has done a nice job. He’s played offense and played special teams as well, and has a history of doing that and doing that well. I’ve been pleased with both of those guys.”

A four-star prospect coming out of Southern California’s Vista Murrieta High School, Shakir signed with Boise State over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA and numerous others.

Shakir played for the Broncos from 2018-21 and closed his four-year college career with 208 catches for 2,878 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was also a factor in the running game with 71 carries for 414 yards and four scores.

Shakir earned first-team all-Mountain West honors in each of his final two seasons at Boise State. 

A fifth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2022, Shakir played sparingly as a rookie but recorded 39 catches for 611 yards and two touchdowns during the 2023 season. He entered last year as the only player on the Bills’ active roster who had caught a pass from Allen.

Shakir led the Bills in receptions and yards last season with a 73 percent catch percentage and just one drop. He was also effective in the Bills’ three postseason games, catching 20 passes for 174 yards as the team reached the AFC Championship Game.

Just like Shakir, Allen is a former California prep standout who went on to play in the MWC. Allen spent three seasons at Wyoming and was selected seventh overall by the Bills in 2018. 

Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions last season while running for 531 yards and five TDs.