For the Bills, much of the external focus fell on their receivers in 2025 from fans and media focused on what was missing, such as a boundary serious threat pass catcher who gets separation. Or on what went wrong, such as Keon Coleman’s off-field growing pains and limited on-field availability.
This offseason, much of the focus in that area has been on Joe Brady’s promotion to head coach while still calling offense, the trade for DJ Moore to take on WR1 duties, and the addition of Skyler Bell in the NFL Draft.
With that, here are the Bills’ most underappreciated players entering 2026:
Khalil Shakir, WR
In a passing-game year that the national media spent ripping apart, Shakir quietly posted a 70.4 PFF receiving grade (38th of 81 qualifying WRs) — the only Bills wideout to crack the top half at the position. Add 719 yards and four touchdowns on a target share that bounced week to week, and you have the most efficient route-runner on the roster. Brandon Beane paid him in March 2025; that contract already looks like a steal.
Spencer Brown, RT
Brown’s 76.6 overall PFF grade undersells the actual story: an 85.3 run-block grade, top-10 among all tackles. The 61.3 pass-block grade doesn’t tell the whole story, as in Brady’s outside-zone-heavy scheme — the one that produced RB James Cook’s 1,621 rushing yards — Brown is the right tackle that helps create that offense.
Cole Bishop, S
Bishop earns a mention here for a 70.8 grade and three picks that made him the most-improved Bill last season, also making him the least-credited starter on this defense. He’s on a rookie deal through 2027 (Spotrac) and is now leading the safeties group while trending upwards as a starter.
Christian Benford, CB
Buffalo allowed an NFL-low 156.9 passing yards per game in 2025, and the corner who logged the most snaps in that secondary was Benford: 67.8 PFF grade (35th of 114 qualifying CBs), 798 snaps, two interceptions. The grade isn’t an All-Pro number; the role inside the league’s best pass defense is. He turns 26 this offseason and is the cornerback the Bills are quietly building the back end around.
Dawson Knox, TE
Kincaid gets the headlines and the pass volume; Knox does the tough work. A 68.6 PFF grade (17th of 37 TEs), 417 yards, four touchdowns, 11.6 yards per reception as the in-line blocker who lets Brady run 12 personnel two-tight-end sets without telegraphing run. Buffalo renegotiated his deal through 2028 in March 2026 precisely because the tape said this is a starting NFL tight end, not a cap casualty.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Who are the Bills’ most underappreciated players entering 2026?
Reporting by David Benjamin De Cristofaro, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Benjamin De Cristofaro, Bills Wire | USA TODAY Network
