What Does the Bills' Pecking Order at Wide Receiver Look Like After Drafting Skyler Bell?

There’s been a significant transition within the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver corps this offseason.

After the trade for DJ Moore and drafting Skyler Bell in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, the Bills’ passing game is set to look a whole lot different under first-year head coach Joe Brady. Moore is an experienced player who has totaled over 8,000 yards receiving throughout his eight-year career, while Bell received a Pro Football Focus receiving grade of 85.2 last season, which was ranked 34th among 679 players graded at the position.

Both Moore and Bell should make a significant impact in the first season with their new team. The question is, how will the Bills’ pecking order shake out when things are all said and done?

That might get complicated.

Not many easy answers

UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) just misses the catch under pressure from UAB Blazers cornerback Tamarion Crumpley (13) and safety Sirad Bryant (1) in the second quarter. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Determining two players’ roles is not complicated, as Moore and the Bills’ leading receiver from a season ago, Khalil Shakir, will eat up the lion’s share of the targets. However, which player comes next on the food chain is tough to figure out at this stage of the game.

Buffalo drafted Bell for a reason, and that is to be the future of their wide receiver corps. However, he played his college football against inferior competition compared to many of the top wide receivers in his class, and he may need some time to find his groove.

Additionally, the Bills are paying a boatload of money to Joshua Palmer, and they would like to see a return on their investment entering Palmer’s second season in Buffalo. Palmer finished last season appearing in just 12 games, which he finished with 22 receptions for 303 yards and zero touchdowns.

Also, Keon Coleman has been propped up by the Bills' brass throughout the offseason and is not going to go away quietly despite an abysmal 2025 season that saw him benched multiple times and finish with only 38 receptions for 404 yards and four touchdowns.

Therefore, landing on a clear-cut top three targets is difficult. It could be Moore-Shakir-Palmer. Or perhaps the rookie impresses early on, and he forces himself into that role. There’s also a chance all that Brandon Beane and Joe Brady have said about Coleman isn’t smoke after all, and he could be set for a career resurgence.

Best guess

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) carries the ball defended by New York Jets safety Malachi Moore (27) during the third quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Of all the options presented, I believe the most likely result is Bell exiting training camp with a true opportunity to seize control of what will be a great opportunity as WR3 in one of the league’s most potent passing attacks with a former MVP throwing him the football. Palmer’s injury-prone 2025 season was a concern, and how can anyone truly trust Coleman at this point?

I think the best bet for the Bills is to dive headfirst into their new-look pass-catching room and give Bell the go-ahead to sink or swim in his rookie year.

In any event, Bell, Palmer and Coleman are shoo-ins to make the roster at this point, barring a trade, of course. Aside from those three, Tyrell Shavers is coming off a season-ending knee injury and may need some additional time to recover before he is ready to return to the playing field. That would leave Trent Sherfield with a chance to serve as his temporary replacement both at WR and on special teams, while Mecole Hardman Jr. has an outside chance to earn a jersey if he’s able to prove himself worthy of the punt return job.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google