Bills Place Veteran Wide Receiver on PUP List, What it Means Before Training Camp

The Buffalo Bills made a roster move ahead of the first day of training camp, placing veteran wide receiver Tyrell Shavers on the Physically Unable to Perform [PUP] List, according to the NFL's transaction wire. The move will sideline him indefinitely.

Shavers sustained a torn ACL during the first half of the Bills’ wild-card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, but returned to action in the second half, displaying great toughness while playing 22 snaps before the significance of his injury was revealed postgame. He did not play during Buffalo’s disappointing divisional-round defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos and did not participate during the team’s offseason workout program.

If Shavers remains on the PUP list entering the regular season, that would force him to miss the first four games of the season. This is the second straight year the Bills have placed a notable player on the PUP list before the start of camp, doing so with edge rusher Landon Jackson in 2025. However, Jackson was activated in time for the team’s first training camp practice.

That likely won’t be the case with Shavers, as the nature of his injury points toward a more extended stint on PUP than Jackson experienced.

What happens if Shavers isn’t ready to start the Bills’ season?

If Shavers cannot go in Week 1, that would likely lead to fellow veteran Trent Sherfield earning a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. Sherfield was signed by the team in free agency on March 26, as the Bills welcomed him back for his second stint in Buffalo.

Shavers played all 17 regular-season games for the Bills last season and finished with 15 receptions for 245 yards and a touchdown. His presence was most felt on special teams, where he was on the field for 56% of the team’s snaps.

Sherfield is also a special teams standout, playing 184 special teams snaps across his two stops during the 2025 season: the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. During his previous time spent in Buffalo he played in 17 games during the 2023 season and earned a 35% snap share on special teams while playing 34% of the team’s offensive snaps.

Elsewhere on the Bills’ depth chart at wide receiver, DJ Moore has entered the fold and is getting set for his first season in Buffalo after the team traded a second-round pick for him this offseason. The team’s leading receiver from a year ago, Khalil Shakir, is also back, while Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer and rookie Skyler Bell are all battling it out for the role as the Bills’ WR3.

The announcement of Shavers heading to the PUP list could be good news for Bills edge rusher Michael Hoecht, who is dealing with an Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season. He was not placed on the PUP list, and that may mean he is ready for the team's first training camp practice.,

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