Bills WR names player who could ‘shape’ 2024 NFL season

All eyes are on the Buffalo Bills receiving corps as we enter the 2024 NFL season.

It’s not necessarily a new phenomenon — any receiving group led by one of the league’s top quarterbacks is going to be talked about a lot — but the conversations this offseason have taken on a different tone. Buffalo parted ways with its top two receivers from the past few seasons in the spring, allowing Gabriel Davis to leave in free agency before trading perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in early April. The team plans to replace its production by spreading the ball among a slew of unproven weapons with high upside, namely third-year contributor Khalil Shakir, second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid, rookie Keon Coleman and free-agent signing Curtis Samuel.

All four of these receivers are intriguing names who could individually break out in the 2024 season, but Samuel may be the most interesting given his path to One Bills Drive. A former second-round pick who never fully reached his potential due to inconsistent quarterback play, an offensive coaching carousel, and occasional injuries, Samuel is a tough player to predict heading into the new campaign—he’s never reached 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, but given his demonstrated talent and versatility, many prognosticators believe he’s capable of more.

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It’s possible Samuel is just returning to his usual role and production in Buffalo, but now that he’s paired with one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Josh Allen, it’s hard not to be excited about the 27-year-old’s chances of emerging as an often-used playmaker this fall. That’s why CBS Sports writer Zachary Pereles listed the wide receiver among the 50 players “who could shape the 2024 season.”

“After losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, the Bills’ passing game will likely be more of a committee this season, and Samuel could lead that committee,” Pereles wrote in a recent article. “He reunites with Joe Brady, his former offensive coordinator at Carolina in 2020, when Samuel had career highs in receiving yards (851) and rushing yards (200). Samuel can play in the slot, on the wings and, occasionally, in the backfield.”

As Pereles notes in his analysis, Samuel has experience with current Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who was hired full-time this offseason after taking over play-calling duties on an interim basis midway through the 2023 campaign. Brady previously served as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator, leading Samuel to a career-best scrimmage production (1,051 yards from scrimmage) during the 2020 NFL season. The play-caller has deployed Samuel as a versatile chess piece, using him in the slot (399 snaps), outside (177 snaps) and in the backfield (70 snaps); he plans to use him in the same way in Orchard Park, recently stating that Samuel will do “a little bit of everything” for the team’s offense.

Given his familiarity with Brady’s offense and his demonstrated comfort in it, it’s easy to be excited about the opportunity Samuel presents, especially considering the quarterback he’s set to pair with. There are a few mouths to feed in Buffalo’s revamped offense, but his role, at this point, seems relatively defined and potentially significant. Fresh off a disappointing three-year stint with the Washington Commanders, don’t be surprised if Samuel sets new career highs under Brady again in 2024.

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