Khalil Shakir Stock Continues to Rise

It’s hard to remember, but there were rumblings that Khalil Shakir was on his way out of Buffalo during training camp.

With the additions of Trent Sherfield, Deonte Hardy and Dalton Kincaid, many thought Shakir’s days as a Bill were numbered.

Fast forward five months to the Bills Wild Card game against the Steelers. Khalil Shakir dazzles Bills Mafia when he catches the ball two yards off the line of scrimmage, avoids going down after breaking a tackle and sprints to the endzone with a 17-yard touchdown.

Khalil Shakir isn’t a household name and there’s a good chance he never will be.  Names like Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Dalton Kincaid, James Cook and Dawson Knox will garner the national attention and their numbers, for the most part, support this.

But what Shakir has brought to the Bills offense hasn’t been flashy and likely won’t get him Pro Bowl honors anytime soon—Shakir brings consistency and stability. 

How many times has Khalil Shakir come through when the Bills needed a first down? Believe it or not, Shakir leads the NFL in Receiving Success Rate—which calculates the efficiency of a player’s receptions and how many yards he obtains in relation to a first down. Shakir has a 73.3% Success Rate. The next highest receiver for the Bills is Dalton Kincaid at 61.5%, followed by James Cook at 59.3%.

Khalil Shakir also leads all NFL receivers in Catch Percentage. Shakir’s 86.7% catch rate is far superior to the next wide receiver on the list, Braxton Berrios (81.8%). As a matter of fact, of the 45 balls targeted to Khalil Shakir, only 6 hit the ground. His 2023 catch percentage numbers are the third best since 2008!

Shakir’s emergence in 2023 will soften the blow when the Bills likely decide to part ways with soon to be free agent, Gabe Davis after this season.  Although Shakir likely won’t become the Bills new #2 wide receiver, his productivity will force them to give him more reps and yet another option for Josh Allen moving forward.

Khalil Shakir played all 17 games this season, starting 10. He caught 39 balls for 611 yards and two touchdowns.