Khalil Shakir leads NFL in advanced metric amidst Bills' playcalling criticisms

The Buffalo Bills aren't anywhere close to having the most talented WR corps. Khalil Shakir led the team with just 719 receiving yards in 2025, one of the lowest marks for a team's leading receiver this season.

One area where Shakir excels is in the short passing game. While many fans argue Joe Brady calls too many screen passes, no receiver gained more yardage off of screens in 2025 than Shakir.

MORE: Bills' most important offensive player other than Josh Allen not James Cook this week

According to Next Gen Stats, Shakir led the NFL with 173 receiving yards off of screen passes, joining elite receivers like Puka Nacua, Trey McBride, Ja'Marr Chase, and George Pickens as a yardage leader in a specific route type this season.

Most receiving yards by route during the 2025 season, per @NextGenStats:

Angle – Christian McCaffrey (239)
Corner – Trey McBride (175)
Cross – Jameson Williams (357)
Flat – Bijan Robinson (432)
Go – Tee Higgins (336)
Hitch – George Pickens (275)
In – Puka Nacua (253)
Out –…
— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) January 6, 2026

Shakir's short game

In addition to his league-leading success on screen passes, Shakir was second among WRs in receiving yards on targets behind the line of scrimmage, with his 206 yards trailing only Deebo Samuel's 236 yards, per PFF. His yards after catch behind the LOS also ranked second behind Samuel, despite the Bills receiver totaling seven less targets and six less receptions than the Washington weapon.

Shakir did most of his damage in the middle of the field, catching 23 targets for 178 yards and 2 TDs in between the numbers and behind the line of scrimmage.

Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) runs after the catch against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Playcalling criticism

What does the data say about the Bills running 'too many screens'? According to Sports Info Solutions (SIS), Josh Allen threw 63 screen passes in 2025, the sixth most among QBs, totaling 388 yards, the fifth most among QBs. Allen's three touchdown passes off of screens trailed only Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts, who each accumulated five.

His "Independent Quarterback Rating", or "IQR", a metric calculated by SIS, ranked Allen seventh on screen passes with a 108.2. For context, the NFL's IQR leader on screens this season was Goff at 123.7

While Allen's total stats ranked among the top for QBs, the Bills weren't as efficient with screens as other teams. Allen averaged 6.2 yards per attempt on screens, which was tied for 13th in the league among QBs with at least 10 screen pass attempts. His 2.00 EPA ranked 15th, while his -1.09 points above average ranked 31st out of 48 qualifying quarterbacks.

Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady on the field before a game against the New York Giants at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Playoff outlook

The Bills may not be the best team when it comes to successfully executing screen passes, but rostering a RAC machine like Khalil Shakir, along with capable blocking receivers like Gabriel Davis and Tyrell Shavers, can create personnel mismatches that Brady and Allen need to take advantage of.

Buffalo will need to rely on the continued success of their rushing attack in order to make a run in the postseason. With the screen game functioning as an extension of the run game, executing short passes to Shakir will likely create more opportunities downfield for Dalton Kincaid and Brandin Cooks to find open space.

Like it or not, screens are always part of Brady's game plan, but the Bills have the personnel necessary to make it a valuable facet of the offense, and that starts with Shakir.

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