Khalil Shakir is the perfect cog for Joe Brady’s offensive machine

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has the Buffalo Bills offense humming for three weeks, and it’s not the typical Josh Allen-led manner. Brady has taken much of the burden off Allen’s shoulders by utilizing the run game, getting the ball out quickly in the passing game and letting receivers run after the catch. No player on offense has benefited from this philosophy in the passing game more than third-year wideout Khalil Shakir.

To say Shakir has been reliable for Brady and Allen this year would be an understatement. His catch rate currently sits at 100% (pretty good) as he has caught all 14 targets over three weeks. In fact, dating back to last year, Shakir has caught 27 consecutive targets, tying an all-time NFL record.

Impressive after a 2022 fifth-round pick out of Boise State, right? But what’s even more impressive is what Shakir does after completing those catches. Through three weeks, he’s fifth in the NFL in yards after the catch (117), and that’s on just 14 targets. He follows Tyreek Hill, Chris Godwin, Malik Nabers and Rashee Rice. Those are household names, and if Shakir isn’t a household name yet, he should be at his current pace soon.

He has already scored two touchdowns on catch-and-runs this year, breaking both tackles to find the end zone. We’ve seen flashes of Shakir over the past two years in the league, but now he gets his chance to shine. Not only is he getting looks in attack now, but they are quality looks. The ball comes to him quickly and there is room for him to run after the catch.

On the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long this summer, Josh Allen praised Shakir, saying, “I’m excited to see (Shakir) play a bigger role… very, very excited about his upcoming season.”

People should have taken Allen’s words more seriously because Shakir is taking the world by storm. Shakir currently leads the NFL in receiving EPA at +22.6, and he leads the Bills in every major receiving statistic. He is the team leader in receptions (14), targets (14), receiving yards (168), receiving touchdowns (2) and receiving yards per game (56.0).