As I have stated in other pieces that I have done over and over again, the Bills will have one of the premier offenses in the sport next season with Josh Allen healthy. I have analyzed the offensive line of the team heading into the 2026 season in detail, and here I will assess the skill position players of the team heading into the 2026 season.
Beginning with the wide receivers of the team I can offer the following. The Bills acquired veteran DJ Moore to presume the team’s leading wide out spot in 2026. DJ Moore has been underrated in his career as he has consistently produced at an above average clip while being among the most durable players at any position in the NFL. Moore, the former 1st rounder, had a career worst year in 2025 with the Bears as perhaps he struggled to adjust and/or was not a great fit under Ben Johnson’s new scheme. Moore is only 29 years old and consistently produced at a well above average if not a borderline elite level previously in his career with regularity. So, his 2025 season with the Bears should certainly be viewed as an aberration and Moore could certainly bounce back in a tremendous way this upcoming season. Moore has consistently had subpar if not poor QB play throughout his career with the Panthers and Bears, despite that Moore has consistently produced at nearly a borderline elite level. Now that Moore is paired with Josh Allen who is likely the best overall QB in the sport, we could see Moore produce at the highest level that he has ever produced at in his career and emerge as a household name.
Khalil Shakir currently occupies the #2 wide out spot for the Bills and is a solid player. Shakir has graded in the above average range in terms of both an overall offense grade and a receiving grade according to Pro Football Focus in every season he has played outside of his rookie year. However, Shakir has never struke me as an elite player who is among the premier WR2s in the sport. Shakir is not a capable #1 wide out but given the Bills’ lack of high-level wide outs, Shakir was often thrusted into a #1 wide out role. With the acquisition of DJ Moore, Shakir can now transition to a secondary wide receiver role where he truly belongs. Perhaps Shakir can now come into his own in a supplementary wide out role instead of being forced into a WR1 role.
Rounding out the currently listed starting trio of wide receivers for the Bills is veteran former third rounder Joshua Palmer. Palmer has underwhelmed in the NFL thus far despite his high draft selection although showing potential from time to time. In five seasons, Palmer has failed to ever grade in the above average range among players at his position in terms of either an overall offense grade or a receiving grade according to Pro Football Focus. However, Palmer has had multiple seasons where he logged over 500 yards and over 15.0 yards per reception which is no small feat. Palmer was drafted very highly and has still shown some promise thus far in his career, perhaps the Bills’ coaching staff still believes he could come into his own in the NFL. However, the Bills are likely intentionally keeping players who are more capable than Palmer behind him on the depth chart for depth purposes.
The Bills have multiple noteworthy names currently listed as reserve wide outs on their roster that could threaten for starting jobs and/or serve as high end backups. The two names that pop out are former second rounders Mecole Hardman Jr and Keon Coleman. Both Hardman Jr and Coleman were supposed to be stars in the NFL, but both have really underwhelmed although still showing promise. In each of Hardman’s first five seasons in the NFL he failed to grade in the above average range even once. However, in the 2024 season Hardman in limited snaps graded in the above average to well above average range in terms of both an overall offense grade and a receiving grade according to Pro Football Focus. Hardman as a rookie logged a borderline historic 20.7 yards per reception on over 500 yards as well. Hardman has mostly underwhelmed in the NFL thus far, but still has shown some promise, was drafted very high for a reason, while being among the fastest players in the sport. Former second round pick Keon Coleman is in a very similar boat to Hardman as a former second round pick who has underwhelmed but still shown some promise. Coleman had a strong rookie season logging a remarkable 19.2 yards per reception on over 550 receiving yards while grading near the middle of the pack. Given his high draft selection and strong rookie season, Coleman was in line to become a star wide out at the position but had a sophomore slump. Coleman actually took a noticeable step backwards in year 2 and questions about his attitude, work ethic, and discipline began to mount as he was benched four times during this past season. However, he could certainly bounce back next season especially now that he will not be expected to presume a WR1 role as he was last season now that the team has acquired DJ Moore. A breakdown of the Bills’ wide receiver unit can be found below.
Bills’ Currently Listed Starting Wide Receivers
WR1 – DJ Moore – B to B+, underrated, could take jump to A range in his first season with high level QB play
WR2 – Khalil Shakir – B, could prove to be a B+ level player or better, now that he can transition to a WR2 role where he is better suited
WR3 – Joshua Palmer – C to C+, former third rounder who has underwhelmed but has still shown some promise
Noteworthy Reserve Bills’ Wide Receivers
WR – Keon Coleman – C to C+, 2024 2nd round pick, strong rookie season, sophomore slump, could break out in year 3
WR – Mecole Hardman – C to C+, Former 2nd round pick, mostly underwhelming but still shown some promise, among fastest players in NFL
The tight end unit of the Bills is among the premier units in the sport today and I will go over it in detail below. Dalton Kincaid is among the most underrated players in the NFL and has an argument for being one of the top tight ends in the sport. Kincaid, a 2023 1st round pick, has graded in the top six among all qualified tight ends according to Pro Football Focus in each of the past two seasons which have been the first two outside of his rookie campaign. However, Kincaid has not been able to accrue the volume in terms of receptions and yards in his career thus far, never accounting for more than 571 yards or 44 receptions in a season. If Kincaid can just start to amount the volume while maintaining his level of play, he will emerge as a household name at tight end while being recognized as one of the premier players at the position. The depth that the Bills have at tight end is also very strong as well as they have multiple high-level backups in the unit. Former third round pick Dawson Knox was taken highly in the draft and has shown some promise in the NFL from time to time. 2025 fifth round rookie Jackson Hawes looked elite in limited rookie snaps and could break out as a star. Hawes in limited rookie action, graded 2nd among all qualified tight ends in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus in 2025, albeit catching 16 balls. The Bills in my estimation have one of the premier tight end units in the NFL and a breakdown of the unit can be found below.
Bills 2026 Projected Tight End Unit
TE1 – Dalton Kincaid – A, has yet to accrue to volume however, but elite when on field
TE2 – Dawson Knox – C to C+, former third round pick who has shown promise from time to time
TE3 – Jackson Hawes – 2025 fifth round pick, A+ in limited rookie action
TE4 – Shane Zylstra – C-
The running back room for the Bills is also strong, and I will analyze it in detail below. James Cook is #1 on the Bills’ depth chart as of now and is among the better overall backs in the sport today. Cook has graded in the above average range in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus in every season he has played thus far. Cook has graded in the top ten in that department for two straight seasons now as well. However, Cook feels like a very good but not a great player at the position and Cook consistently grades below average in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield as well. The Bills have two noteworthy names in their running back room that supplement Cook in Ty Johnson and Ray Davis. Ty Johnson is a solid #2 back who in seven seasons in the NFL has graded above average four times. While Ray Davis who is currently listed as the #3 back on the Bills’ depth chart may even be better than Johnson. Davis was a fourth-round pick in 2024 who has graded in the well above average range in both seasons thus far in the NFL. Davis may climb the Bills’ depth chart and may even threaten to take the starting role from James Cook if he can improve. As Davis has looked good as a runner thus far while proving to be a highly capable receiver out of the backfield while Cook has struggled in his career in that department. A full breakdown of the Bills’ current running back room can be found below.
Current Bills’ Running Back Depth Chart
HB1 – James Cook – B+
HB2 – Ty Johnson – C+ to B-
HB3 – Ray Davis – B to B+ in limited snaps so far as 2024 fourth round pick
HB4 – Frank Gore Jr – 2024 undrafted free agent, 0 career snaps
The skill position players for the Bills share a very similar theme to the offensive line of the team, which is good but nothing special. The Bills have no definitive hole in terms of their skill position grouping, but they seem to lack star power and the presence of truly great players. However, DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid in particular could begin to emerge as stars this upcoming season, along with a few others.
