NFL Trade Rumors: Buffalo Bills Wide Receiver Khalil Shakir to Miss Week 5

The Buffalo Bills' offensive woes may be just beginning. Head coach Sean McDermott revealed during an appearance on WGR550 that wide receiver Khalil Shakir will miss the Bills' crucial Week 5 AFC showdown with the Houston Texans.

Coach McDermott on @WGR550 says Khalil Shakir, Ed Oliver, Austin Johnson & Taylor Rapp are all out for Sunday at Houston. Terrel Bernard & Taron Johnson will be limited in practice today. #Bills
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrownBills) October 4, 2024

Shakir injured his ankle in Week 4's 35-10 drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. He still managed a team-high 62 receiving yards on only five targets. His 230 receiving yards through four games are also a team-high by nearly 100 yards.

McDermott also noted that defensive players Ed Oliver, Austin Johnson, and Taylor Rapp will miss Week 5, but Shakir's absence will definitely loom the largest. He has been the Bills' most valuable pass catcher by a wide margin, and the Bills' offense has been a mixed bag even with him on the field. They've managed an impressive 30.5 points per game and limited themselves to only two total turnovers, but some of that can be attributed to schedule: The Bills first three opponents, the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars, are a combined 2-10, and all three rank in bottom 10 teams in the league for points allowed.

Fundamentally, the Bills have struggled to move the ball this season: They rank 20th in the league with a modest 305.8 yards per game, and their 35.7 third-down conversion percentage is 21st in the league. That came to a head last week against the Ravens, and the Texans could pose a similar threat: They've allowed 273.8 yards per game, fifth-best in the league.

Shakir has avoided injured reserve so far, so the Bills appear to expect his absence to be a short one. It could nonetheless be costly. Losing this week to the Texans this week would be one thing, but the Bills play their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets, in Week 6. Falling to 4-3 with unfavorable tiebreakers to the Ravens, Texans, and Jets could leave the Bills in a dicey position regarding seeding at the end of the year.