Bills have tough decision as star WR downgraded to OUT for Wild-Card game vs. Jaguars

The Joshua Palmer experiment has been a disaster.

Injuries have plagued the Buffalo Bills’ star offseason addition throughout his first year with the team, and that trend will continue on Sunday when the Bills meet the Jaguars in the Wild-Card Round.

Palmer was downgraded from questionable to out due to an ankle injury he has dealt with for much of the year, and will be sidelined for the upcoming postseason tilt. After much was expected from the veteran wide receiver, he has managed just 22 receptions for 303 yards while being held without a touchdown in 12 games played.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) carries the ball against the New York Jets during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

What’s left

That leaves the Bills with just five healthy wide receivers on their 53-man roster entering Sunday’s game.

Khalil Shakir, Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers, Gabe Davis, and Keon Coleman sit on the active roster, while WRs Mecole Hardman and Stephen Gosnell are each on the team’s practice squad.

Shakir, Cooks and Shavers are all likely to be active for the matchup with Jacksonville, while NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe has reported that he has been told Coleman is expected to be active for the game as well. The Bills haven’t dressed fewer than five wide receivers in a game this season, which means that either Davis or Hardman is likely to be active as well. Gosnell hasn’t appeared in a game all year and is unlikely to factor into any roster decisions this weekend.

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Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mecole Hardman (16) returns a kickoff in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The choice

If the decision is indeed between Hardman and Davis, it would come down to whether or not the team feels comfortable keeping Shakir in position as the team’s primary punt returner. If the Bills elect to maintain Shakir’s special teams’ role intact, that would almost surely mean Davis would be active. However, if they feel more comfortable not risking a potential injury to Shakir away from the offensive side of the ball, then Hardman would have a chance to suit up.

Hardman has appeared in just two games for the Bills since being signed as a free agent on Nov. 10. He sustained a calf injury after his first appearance with the team and was quickly placed on Injured Reserve on Nov. 20. He returned to the Bills’ practice squad on Dec. 30.

His 61-yard kick return has been the highlight of his brief stint with the Bills, while he also recorded two punt returns for four yards, one of which ended in a fumble lost. He has been targeted just once in the passing game while playing only four offensive snaps.

Davis hasn’t made much of an impact since signing with the team’s practice squad ahead of the regular-season opener. Through six games played, he has recorded 12 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown while playing 58% of the Bills’ offensive snaps. However, he does have a history of performing come postseason time, including a four-touchdown performance in an OT defeat in the 2021 Divisional Round.

Practice squad elevations will be announced at 4 pm. Saturday, while each team's game-day roster will be declared by 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis (13) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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