Bills' Most Glaring Weakness Brought to Light Ahead of 'Super Bowl or Bust' Season

The Buffalo Bills entered the offseason with a long to do list that included filling a number of roster holes that were revealed throughout the 2025 campaign.

Defensive line, cornerback, safety and offensive line were among the many question marks lining Buffalo’s depth chart. But no position was in more significant need of a boost than wide receiver, which the Bills hope will be provided through an offseason trade for DJ Moore and the fourth-round selection of Skyler Bell.

With that said, there are still those who believe the Bills could be held back by what is still perceived as an area of weakness for a team hoping to come away with the franchise’s first championship in 2026.

“When targeting WRs, Buffalo averaged 9.3 air yards, #32 in the NFL," wrote Warren Sharp on X in a post titled “Super Bowl or Bust is the New Reality.”

More numbers proving Bills' WRs are subpar

Sharp added, “[Josh Allen's] percentage of passes that traveled 20+ air yards was a career-low 11.3%, which ranked #24 in the NFL. The same is true whether you want to look at passes that traveled 15+ air yards or 10+ air yards. All were career lows.”

Sharp blames the Bills WR corps for those numbers. One of the main culprits in the Bills’ struggles was Keon Coleman, who took a significant step back in his second professional season. Additionally, Joshua Palmer has yet to pan out after he was signed to a three-year, $36 million deal last March.

However, with Moore and Bell added to the fold, there is hope for the Bills’ group of pass catchers entering the upcoming season. A significant source of that sense of hope, as Sharp points out, is Moore’s reunification with Bills first-year head coach Joe Brady, who was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“For whatever reason, Moore didn’t work out in Chicago, but Buffalo is betting he will make a difference at age 29,” wrote the NFL analyst.

Will it work for the Bills?

Brandon Beane, general manager of then Buffalo Bills, heads off the field at the end of practice at the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s far from a certainty that the moves the Bills made will suddenly transform how effectively they to move the ball through the air. Still, it’s not as if the team stood pat over the past few months.

While you can point out many reasons why Buffalo’s additions at wide receiver weren’t the necessary moves the team needed to ensure improvement at the position, no one can say the Bills remained stagnant.

Their top three-to-five WRs will look a lot different than they did last year. What remains to be seen is if that leads to the significant jump the team is expecting after changing the look of its group of outside targets through free agency and the draft.

Here’s why the Bills’ wide receiver corps could display vast improvement

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the NFL football game between Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It will also be interesting to see the level of impact both Moore and Bell have in their first season with the team. I think, if you look at it with a few months remaining before the start of the regular season, the chances of those two players making a significant difference are about 50-50. In other words, it’s no guarantee.

Nevertheless, if the Bills are to get the return on their investment that they’re hoping for, it will have been because Moore proved to be everything the team thought it was getting when they sent a second-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the veteran. Moore has recorded four 1,000-yard seasons during his career, two of which came with Brady as his OC.

That familiarity between coach and player, coupled with the benefit of having a former MVP at quarterback in Josh Allen, could lead to big things for Moore, which would help spark Buffalo’s
aerial attack as a whole.

Moore hasn’t surpassed the 1,000-yard mark since the 2023 season, when he recorded a career-high 1,364 receiving yards. If he can get anywhere close to that, the Bills’ passing game will get back to being one of the most potent in the NFL. If he fails to measure up, it might be a long year for the team’s group of wide receivers.

It’s really that simple. There’s a lot riding on Moore this season and whether he sinks or swims may define how the Bills perform through the air offensively this year.

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