Joe Brady envisions unlocking Khalil Shakir's full potential, moving beyond short passes to showcase his all-around game and game-breaking abilities.
For the last few years, there's been no wide receiver more reliable for the Buffalo Bills than Khalil Shakir.
The fifth-year receiver out of Boise St. has found himself to be a safety blanket, of sorts, for quarterback Josh Allen and, now, head coach Joe Brady. He's led the team in targets, receptions, and yards the last two seasons, and is known for being one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in the NFL.
But if it feels like he's been one-dimensional in Buffalo's offense, you aren't the only one to think that.
While Shakir has excelled over the last two years, he's been primarily known for short-yardage throws and plays around the line of scrimmage. In 2024, Shakir averaged 2.9 yards before catch per reception. That's the distance the ball is in the air before it's caught.
In 2025, that number was even lower at 2.5 yards per. And even if you factor in all of his targets, the yardage wasn't better at just 3.7 yards per target.
It's to the point where even Brady knows it was low. But, moving forward, he plans on changing how Shakir is used in the offense.
"It's finding different ways to utilize the guys where it's not the same year in and year out," Brady said while in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. "I think Khalil can play inside and outside."
Brady continued to say that he thinks there's not much on the field that Shakir can't do. That means even giving him different opportunities than he had been getting while Brady was the offensive coordinator.
"He's one of our best football players," Brady said. "When the ball's in his hands, good things is happening, and it doesn't necessarily always have to be in a short range, if you know what I mean."
Of course, Brady was a big reason for Shakir only having short-yardage opportunities the last couple of seasons. Now, was it because of the desire of former head coach Sean McDermott to utilize him in that way? That isn't really known. What is known is that words only mean so much. The real answers will come when the Bills take the field again this fall.
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