Bills Cut Ties With WR as Josh Allen Left With No Excuses After Sean McDermott’s Big Decision

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, no one doubted the Bills had holes to patch on defense—and to their credit, they did a solid job there. But once the dust settled, it was clear Buffalo didn’t exactly come out as a draft-week winner. Fans and analysts alike were expecting at least one wideout to help Josh Allen reload, despite having a good receiver unit in the last season. Instead? Crickets. So when GM Brandon Beane got asked about skipping a receiver, he didn’t just respond—he went off.

“You guys were bi—ing in 2018 about Josh Allen you guys wanted Josh Rosen, and now you guys are bi—ing that we don’t have a receiver,” the GM said right after the draft wrapped up. “We just scored 30 points in a row for eight straight games.” Frustration seemed real in one way or another. But fast forward to now, and the Bills have made changes in their receiving corps.

It started with some early trimming ahead of Wednesday’s first training camp practice. On Tuesday, the Buffalo team announced that they’ve released WR Kelly Akharaiyi, along with punter Jake Camarda. But the silver lining? Well, they actually added a couple of weapons for Josh Allen. “We’ve signed WR David White and TE Matt Sokol,” they wrote in a statement. Well, it’s still not a top-tier receiver signing, sure. However, we can expect Sean McDermott and the Bills’ approach to tackle their WR issues.

After going undrafted in April this year, the Bills signed Akharaiyi as an undrafted free agent. The wideout, who stands at 6’1” and weighs over 200 pounds, started his college career at Tyler JC in 2020. Then he headed to UTEP (2022-23) before eventually landing at Mississippi State in 2024. He showed up in 11 games in the final season of his college career and had 25 receptions for 391 yards and a couple of scores. The Bills signed him as an UDFA, sure. But the way things unfolded, the young wideout will now be looking for a new home.

Meanwhile, the Bills have added depth to their receiving corps. For starters, David White was originally picked by the Jaguars as an UDFA last year, where he spent his rookie season without seeing any action due to an injury. The guy tore his ACL during the OTAs and was released by the Jags just last month. A Western Carolina product, White had 54 receptions for 903 yards and 11 TDs before arriving in the NFL.

As for the journeyman tight end, Matt Sokol arrived in the NFL back in 2019 when the Chargers picked him as an UDFA as well. Since then, he has changed five teams across six seasons. The 29-year-old wideout spent the 2024 season on the Steelers‘ practice squad. Sokol has appeared in just eight career games from 2020 to 2023. That said, the Bills might have a young, promising receiver room—but now it’s on Brandon Beane’s gamble to prove whether that optimism holds up when it counts.

Josh Allen’s wide receiver unit review for the 2025 season

When the Bills trade away Stefon Diggs and let Gabe Davis walk, the obvious question was: “So, who’s Josh Allen’s WR1 now? Buffalo’s answer in 2024—and again this offseason—was pretty blunt: We don’t need one. Instead, chasing a clear-cut alpha, they leaned all the way into an “Everybody Eats” approach. No 1,000-yard receiver, no problem. The ball got spread around, and strangely enough, it worked. Efficient? Not always. But effective? Definitely.

Khalil Shakir led the charge, catching 76 passes for career-high 821 yards and four touchdowns. Keon Coleman turned heads in his rookie season, grabbing the ball 29 times for 556 yards and four touchdowns. Talk about the support? They got plenty. Mack Hollins, a key addition, chipped in 31 catches, 378 yards, and 5 touchdowns, and became a locker room favorite. Then there was Curtis Samuel, in a hybrid role, who contributed 31 receptions for 253 yards and 1 touchdown, highlighted by a postseason 55-yard TD.

By the time the 2024 season concluded, the stat sheet revealed that 13 different players had scored a touchdown. Fast forward to now, and the big question emerges: Will this receiving corps be worthy enough to complement Josh Allen in his post-MVP season? They let Amari Cooper walk away, and declined to top New England’s free-agent offer of Hollins. Instead, they brought Joshua Palmer (three-year deal) and Elijah Moore (one-year fully guaranteed deal).

Palmer joined the mix after posting 584 yards on 39 caches with the Chargers, while Moore adds speed following another solid 500+ yard season in Cleveland. That said, Shakir is expected to build on last season’s breakout, and Coleman is stepping into year 2 with bigger roles. Combine that with Buffalo’s “Everybody Eats” philosophy, and it’s fair to say Josh Allen isn’t lacking weapons—just a different kind of arsenal heading into 2025.