Can Khalil Shakir be WR2 next season?

[Aussie Joe]

On 1/2/2024 at 6:19 PM, Heavy Kevi said:

 

That's why we have to draft a WR

I’m not arguing otherwise

 

Is a good one going to be available though when they pick? we will see 

And they won’t be able to move up either ( much…) 

 

Edited January 16 by Aussie Joe

[dma0034]

Bills have to draft 2 WRs next draft imo. They need someone to step into a #2 role right away and another WR that can step in for injuries and perhaps replace Diggs after next year.

 

I still need to know what's going on with Diggs. Is he hurt? Is it scheme? Is he dogging it because he wants out? I'll tell you that he gets up to play Ramsey so we'll see. 

[Inigo Montoya]

19 minutes ago, dma0034 said:

Bills have to draft 2 WRs next draft imo. They need someone to step into a #2 role right away and another WR that can step in for injuries and perhaps replace Diggs after next year.

 

I still need to know what's going on with Diggs. Is he hurt? Is it scheme? Is he dogging it because he wants out? I'll tell you that he gets up to play Ramsey so we'll see. 

 

Diggs contract is hefty and runs through the next three seasons.  The Bills would take a big cap hit if he is gone before the 2027 season.

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/stefon-diggs-16872/

 

 

Edited January 2 by Inigo Montoya

[BillsFanForever19]

It's possible if he continues to be as solid as he is now the rest of the way, that the playbook next season could see him targeted a lot more than he is now. 

 

If that happens, he could be 2nd in targets if they game plan him to be so. But he'll always be a Slot WR. I don't think he has the size to play on the Outside. 

 

When people speak of WR2, they generally speak of the the secondary target on the boundary. That won't be Shakir and it likely won't be Davis, either. It will be most likely a Draft Pick, as our cap situation won't be able to provide us any sort of spectacular 2nd option on the Outside like a Higgins. 

[Inigo Montoya]

21 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

It's possible if he continues to be as solid as he is now the rest of the way, that the playbook next season could see him targeted a lot more than he is now. 

 

If that happens, he could be 2nd in targets if they game plan him to be so. But he'll always be a Slot WR. I don't think he has the size to play on the Outside. 

 

When people speak of WR2, they generally speak of the the secondary target on the boundary. That won't be Shakir and it likely won't be Davis, either. It will be most likely a Draft Pick, as our cap situation won't be able to provide us any sort of spectacular 2nd option on the Outside like a Higgins. 

 

 

Hey BillsFanForever,

 

I thought the same thing and then I looked up his measurements and compared them to Diggs;

 

Diggs;   6'0"  194 lbs

Shakir;  6'0"  190 lbs

 

I thought Shakir was smaller too.  His size alone shouldn't disqualify him from being a boundary receiver.  The question is does he have the ability to produce there?

 

🍻

Edited January 2 by Inigo Montoya

[Johnnyp566]

There’s no money for anything so get used to role players playing pivotal roles next year. 

And I say that all the while really liking Shakir. I think he’s tough and reliable and has a chance to have a Josh Reed type career (on a much better team).

[bobobonators]

6 hours ago, Governor said:

We need to draft a #1. Maybe we could get another year from Diggs as a #2.

As long as Diggs is on this team he’ll be #1. Next year will likely be Diggs’ final year here. I see him getting traded before getting cut. 
 

We definitely need a first round talent at WR next draft. And then possibly take another shot at a WR in the 4th or 5th

Edited January 2 by bobobonators

[Straight Hucklebuck]

No he can’t. 

 

The Bills franchise and fans really need to aim higher.

 

We don’t have one WR that can stretch the field, high point the football, come back to the ball and come down with contested catches, have real deep speed to create downfield separation. 
 

The Bills have no length, no size, no speed.

 

Edited January 2 by Straight Hucklebuck

[BananaB]

Get a legit #2, Shakir can be a solid slot guy as he continues to grow chemistry with Allen. Don’t need Beane taking chances on that position anymore. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

6 minutes ago, BananaB said:

Get a legit #2, Shakir can be a solid slot guy as he continues to grow chemistry with Allen. Don’t need Beane taking chances on that position anymore. 

We have a legit WR2 right now. Probably not who you think. We need a young WR1 that takes over either right away as WR1 or by the end of next season. Multiple ways the Bills can do this.

 

Fans don’t like this conversation though. I’ve been saying it for a while with many dislikes. But more people are starting to notice the decline.

Edited January 2 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Captain_Quint]

Draft high, and draft them often. Gabe is gone, Diggs will be soon as well. Shakir is proving to be a reliable target, but I think he is also the guy that the other team says 'Let Shakir beat us' instead of Diggs/Kincaid/Cook. Shakir doesn't have that extra wiggle to make him anything other than a solid, reliable target against zone. 

[NewEra]

No

[babulator]

No, Shakir has been a nice story and certainly has a roster spot, but settling for him as our #2 is a terrible idea.

 

We still need a true #1, a guy that can get open without being schemed and make the tough catches when the chips are on the line. I'm not bashing anyone here, but when you look around the league true #1 guys can take over a game. I'm not sure we've ever had that, yes we've had some guys have great games, but not in the way CeeDee or Tyreek, or Ja'Marr have taken over games when needed. Our WR group is doodoo overall. Don't settle for this imho.

[Nuncha]

Bigger question is who will be WR1.  Diggs is done.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

No. He doesn't have the size or speed to be elite.

Bills need to draft two WRs next year. A guy that can be a #1 in 2 years and a true slot WR.

Honestly with Allen in his prime I,would draft WR, DE, and OL top 3 picks every year. Maybe swap OL for CB every other year. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

6 hours ago, ganesh said:

If there are a lot of good WR in the draft then couldn't we draft them on the 2nd day ?

We’ve done that in the past and ended up with 3rd receivers at best. Why wait and take guys other teams didn’t want instead of taking more talented guy in rd 1? 

[finn]

7 hours ago, FireChans said:

If Shakir is #2 in targets or our #2 boundary WR next season, things have gone very very wrong.

Yeah, but he leads the league in catching those targets--and at 15+ YPC; he's no possession receiver. This board might have a blind spot with Shakir. His numbers suggest he's an excellent wide receiver, certainly better than Gabe Davis. Maybe his uptick in numbers shows that Brady is seeing that. I hope so. The offense needs a shot of energy. More Shakir and Cook might be the answer.

 

Diggs, Shakir, Kincaid, Cook, Knox, Davis: That would be my progression. Also, I'd love it if Shorter emerged as a more reliable Gabe Davis. 

[Niagara Dude]

8 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said:

Shakir has come on over the second half of the season as Allen has seemingly grown more comfortable throwing him the ball.  He has made some drive saving, and by extension, game saving receptions.  He seems to get the ball in his hands and head straight up the field for YAC instead of dancing around.  He runs crisp routes.  He seems to have worked through his yips/drops issue and has been sure handed.  

 

He only had 8 receptions and 105 receiving yards through Week 7 of this season.  At the end of Week 17, with the bye week in there, he is now sitting at 33 receptions on 39 targets and 506 receiving yards.  He is averaging a gaudy 15.3 yards per reception.

 

If he is made a bigger part of the passing offense and gets more targets, can he continue this upwards trajectory?  If Gabe is too pricey to come back as the #2 next year, or if Beane and Brady simply want to move on from Gabe or open up competition for the role, does Shakir have the ability to leave the slot and move into that WR2 position?   

 

The prevailing wisdom is that Beane will draft a solid WR prospect and sign a veteran free agent WR to come in and compete for the #2 spot.  I would have no problem with that plan and then have a camp battle between the new guys, possibly Gabe, and Shakir for the WR2 role.

 

The question is what are the odds this is a situation like the recent MLB transition (Edmunds/Bernard) where Gabe's replacement is already on the roster in Shakir? 

No the Bills need to upgrade the position or they will fall behind in the arms race.  The offence has struggled solely because receivers don't create enough separation .  Getting a legit #2 receiver is a must and Shakir is not him,  I think he makes for a good #3 and maybe Shorter develops into the 4th option.  

[juno999]

2 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:

No the Bills need to upgrade the position or they will fall behind in the arms race.  The offence has struggled solely because receivers don't create enough separation .  Getting a legit #2 receiver is a must and Shakir is not him,  I think he makes for a good #3 and maybe Shorter develops into the 4th option.  

Allen is missing open receivers.  He either doesn't see open guys or misses on the throw.  They need at least one receiver probably two but it's not just the receivers that are a problem in the passing game.

[Rockinon]

I think Shakir can have a Cole Beasley type 1000yd season, but he isn't going to be a #2. We need to draft a #1 receiver while Diggs is still young enough to contribute at a high level(We've seen a bit of a drop off from him...maybe he's banged up). It would really be nice to have that rather than hope that Shakir can fill that role. Those over the middle catches that both Beasley and Shakir do are critical pieces to this offense. They prevent those safeties from zeroing in on the outside receivers. Best case is to keep Shakir in his current role and improve on it, draft a true #1 to pair with Diggs. The passing game has really gone through some growing pains this year, but it's still pretty good. We're seeing production from guys like Shakir and Kincaid. Seems the pass game is still trying to find itself. It's good, just not quite elite good. Get someone that can compete at Diggs level and then we're cooking. For now, Josh needs to put more faith in Shakir and Kincaid. Take some of the weight off of Diggs and Davis.