Two Buffalo Bills named to 2024 NFL All-Breakout Team

As the 2024 NFL season approaches, we’re getting closer to meeting the NFL’s new stars. Pro Football Focus has assembled its All-Breakout team for next season, with PFF writer Gordon McGuinness including two Bills, one on each side of the ball, as potential candidates.

The analyst named third-year receiver Khalil Shakir and cornerback Christian Benford to the All-Breakout team, implying they could succeed by moving into larger roles.

Here’s what PFF has to say about Shakir: “It’s the way he finished the 2023 season that lends credence to his breakout potential. Over the Bills’ last five games, including the playoffs, he saw 24 targets and turned them into 23 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

Shakir has been on many people’s radar since Stefon Diggs left, and given that he’s the only receiver on the team to catch a regular-season pass from Josh Allen, he could be one of the go-to signal callers . targets. Shakir can play both inside as a slot receiver and as an outside alignment, and it’s clear he has the trust of his quarterback. If there was one wide receiver on the Bills roster to break out this season, it would have to be Shakir. His stats have improved year over year, with his production taking a significant jump after Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season.

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Let’s move on to what PFF said about Benford: “After becoming a starter in his second season as a sixth-round pick out of Villanova, Benford earned a PFF coverage grade of 83.3, tying for the ranked seventh among all cornerbacks last season. »

Benford was one of the top draft steals for general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. A sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft, Benford has already started 19 career games – not bad for a defensive back from a Division 1 FCS school.

Early in his tenure in Buffalo, Benford solidified himself against teammate Kaiir Elam and began to become a fundamental part of the Bills’ defense. If Benford takes another step forward, he could be a crucial piece in a revamped Bills secondary.