Trying to figure out the Bills’ receiver room right now is like staring into a depth-chart crystal ball that keeps fogging up. The Bills’ top three wideouts for 2025 look pretty locked in: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. But behind them? There are four quality receivers, with only two (maximum three) spots. And Sean McDermott is swallowing an Advil as we speak.

Behind the top three, it’s a total free-for-all. That’s when the migraine of $600K hits McDermott. The Bills usually keep five receivers, maybe six, which means behind the top three, it’s basically four guys fighting for two or three spots: Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers, and Laviska Shenault.

Samuel’s the real flashpoint here. He’s got a $6.91M base salary locked in for 2025 as part of a three-year, $24M deal. And cutting him before final cuts would add over $600K to the 2025 cap. In other words, it’s not the cap clean-up some might think. Independent cap sites back it up: three years, $24M, $15.02M guaranteed. It’s exactly the kind of contract where the “on paper” math can clash hard with the “on the field” reality.

Elijah Moore is basically the counter-argument in cleats. He’s on a one-year, $2.5M fully guaranteed deal, and he brings that slot/Z flexibility plus return-game value. A huge tie-breaker when your fourth and fifth receivers have to chip in on special teams. If the Bills only keep five, Moore’s guarantee and versatility make him a strong favorite in the roster math.

Tyrell Shavers’s momentum makes a good case for him. He’s stacked a second straight strong summer and can line up at any of the three receiver spots. The catch? He didn’t crack the core four special-teams units until later in the preseason opener. That little detail matters on cutdown day, when WR6 often ends up doubling as a punt protector, vice, or kick-coverage body.

Laviska Shenault is all about leverage. He hasn’t really flashed as a receiver in camp, but against the Giants, the Bills used him all over special teams. He’s also a natural depth X behind Coleman or Shavers and comes with a veteran salary benefit cap hit that’s friendly for a WR5/6 spot. You’d probably need an Advil just thinking about this. Imagine how Sean McDermott feels. But amidst all this chaos, Josh Allen might be the real winner.

McDermott finally locks in James Cook

Yeah, now we know why James Cook was back on the field on August 12. The Bills had a little surprise cooking. Behind the scenes, they got a deal done, and boom: the 25-year-old just signed a four-year, $48 million extension. Not a bad day at the office. Especially not for Josh Allen.

And he has more than earned it. In 2024, he racked up 1,009 yards on 207 carries (a slick 4.9 YPC) with 16 rushing touchdowns, plus 32 catches for 258 yards and 2 more scores through the air. That’s big-time production, and it gives Joe Brady a legit run/option weapon to punish light boxes and take some of that QB-power wear and tear off Allen.

It kind of changes the usage. Shakir’s got that sneaky efficiency, Coleman’s a big body who can win those size matchups, and Palmer runs routes like a machine. Put that with Cook leading a run-first/play-action game, and Sean McDermott doesn’t really need his WR4 to rack up catches. They just need him to do his job and fit the scheme.

That’s why Moore’s reliability, Shenault’s special teams value, and Shavers being able to line up in three different spots could end up being a big deal. Margins matter. Keeping five or six receivers could honestly come down to something as small as one big kick return, one clutch punt tackle, or even saving a little cap space for later in the season by picking the right mix now.