Projecting Bills' depleted WR group after Gabe Davis' disturbing injury vs. Jaguars

The Bills keep taking hits at one of the game's most important positions.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis (13) is carted off after an apparent injury during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now down another wide receiver, the Buffalo Bills’ pass-catching corps is starting to resemble a MASH unit.

Joshua Palmer was placed on Injured Reserve before the team’s Wild Card matchup, during which Gabe Davis appeared to be lost for the rest of the season with an injury to the same knee that forced him to miss much of the 2024 campaign. And with Curtis Samuel remaining on IR, the Bills’ outlook at the WR position is beginning to look pretty bleak.

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis (13) gestures during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Laying it out

Without Palmer and perhaps Davis for the rest of the year, Buffalo is down to just four healthy wide receivers on its active roster — Khalil Shakir, Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers and Keon Coleman. Shakir and Cooks enjoyed big games during an opening-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Coleman and Shavers each made a slight impact. Shavers left the game briefly due to a knee injury but returned.

Mecole Hardman and Stephen Gosnell are each on the practice squad.

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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

Potential replacements

If Davis is indeed lost for an extended time, the obvious replacement to fill the void left by his absence would be to elevate Hardman from the practice squad or even promote him to the active roster if Davis is placed on IR. Hardman has already appeared in two games for the Bills this season, primarily as a return man, and has plenty of postseason experience.

However, there could be an outside chance Samuel returns from IR, where he has remained since Nov. 28 with elbow and neck injuries. The former big-ticket free-agent acquisition has been a disappointment through two seasons with the team, but has enjoyed a few big moments, including during last year’s postseason, when he scored two touchdowns receiving, one during the AFC Championship Game. He has seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown through six games played this season.

Whichever route the Bills take to replace Davis, the options are getting slimmer and slimmer as the weeks go on. Buffalo may also want to look into bringing in another player at the position through free agency this week before they face off with their Divisional Round opponent, the Denver Broncos on Saturday.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) runs during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

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