Bills Urged to Add 2,800-Yard WR in Trade Deadline Deal
The Buffalo Bills excelled last season with an “everybody eats” approach on offense, but this year’s crop of wide receivers haven’t exactly been feasting.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is still spreading the ball around to a wide group of pass-catchers, but their wide receivers have not taken as big a share of the workload. The Bills have only three receivers who have topped 100 total yards through five games, with Khalil Shakir leading the way with 235 yards. None of the team’s wide receivers are on pace to reach 800 yards.
One analyst suggests the team could find some help at the trade deadline, taking aim at a talented receiver who is expected to hit the trade block.
Bills Could Find Help in the NFC South
SI.com analyst Alex Brasky suggested the Bills could make a run at New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, who has been floated as a trade target as the deadline approaches. Brasky noted that the Saints are slipping out of playoff contention and could look to sell off pieces to build draft assets for a rebuild.
“The New Orleans Saints have been rumored to be shopping their veteran players as they are 1-4 on the season while sitting in salary cap hell,” Brasky wrote. “Two Saints players that could potentially provide an instant boost to the Bills’ pass-catching corps, if available, are wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, both of whom have been the subject of much discussion among Bills fans throughout the past several days.”
Olave had a strong start to his career, topping the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first two seasons while catching nine total touchdowns in that span. But he has been limited to eight games last season, making 32 receptions for 400 yards with one touchdown. He has 2,800 yards for his career.
The 25-year-old receiver is off to a promising start this year, making 33 receptions for 244 yards with one touchdown.
Brasky added that Shaheed could be a logical target, as he could give a boost to the wide receiving corps while also serving as a return specialist — a position that has been a question mark through the first five weeks of the season.
Bills Could Consider Another Target
If the Bills do choose to bolster their wide receiving corps at the NFL trade deadline, they could have other targets beyond Olave. Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested the Bills could take a big swing, offering a pair of Day 2 draft picks to land A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kay noted that Brown is off to a slow start, on pace for just 660 yards this season, and could give the Bills the “true No. 1” receiver they have been missing since Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans last year.
“While slot wideout Khalil Shakir (22/235/2) and X receiver Keon Coleman (21/226/2) have played their roles adequately, tight end Dalton Kincaid leads Buffalo in receiving yardage (287) and receiving touchdowns (three),” Kay wrote. “There’s clearly room for a star like Brown to come in and take over as Allen’s top target down the stretch.”
Bold Vancouver Canucks predictions for the 2025-26 NHL season
The Vancouver Canucks were one of the most interesting teams not to make the playoffs in 2024-25. They were in the headlines every week without challenging for a Wild Card spot. A locker-room tiff ended with JT Miller getting traded, while Rick Tocchet bizarrely lost his job. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, how will Vancouver fare? The Canucks bold predictions include a look into the future for Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
The Canucks finished the 2024-25 season with 90 points, six points out of the final Wild Card spot. In the offseason, they extended Thatcher Demko, creating an expensive yet steady goaltending room with Kevin Lankinen. They also brought back Brock Boeser on a seven-year contract after rumors swirled that he would leave in unrestricted free agency. How will those moves impact their season?
Here are the Canucks bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
Elias Pettersson bounces back with 100-point season
Elias Pettersson entered March of 2024 with 75 points in 62 games, looking to slam the door on a second consecutive 100-point campaign. The center limped to the finish, with just 14 points in the final 20 regular-season games and six points in 13 postseason games. He had every opportunity to flush that in 2024-25, but failed. He scored 15 goals and 45 points in 62 games, all career lows.
The Canucks will benefit from an incredible bounce-back from Elias Pettersson this year. The 26-year-old will get back to 100 points with his first 40-goal season in 2025-26. They have already paid him like an elite center, with an $11.6 million annual average value, and he needs to live up to that.
Quinn Hughes will sign a new contract with the Canucks
There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. His brother, Devils forward Jack Hughes, fanned the flames when he said he’d love to play with his brother. Quinn, a Norris Trophy winner, has two years left on his deal and could sign an extension as soon as July 1, 2026. He will sign that deal before he lands in free agency in July 2027.
The Canucks need to improve to keep their captain, which is why they made such big swings this offseason. Adam Foote was hired as the head coach because Hughes is a fan of his, according to multiple reports. The future of the organization should be pointed toward keeping Hughes more than anything else.
Hughes will likely set the record for a defenseman’s contract when he signs his extension. That record for average annual value is Erik Karlsson’s $11.5 million deal. With the salary cap exploding at the perfect time for a new Hughes contract, he should blow that deal out of the water. That is especially true with Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov expected to reset the market.
Vancouver returns to the playoffs
The Canucks will have to make the playoffs to keep Hughes. So if they are going to re-sign their captain at the end of the season, they better make the playoffs. The Western Conference is going to be tough, with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights dominating the Pacific Division for years. That makes the path more difficult for Vancouver, but they will make it.
The Canucks will get better goaltending this year, and an offensive bounce-back from Pettersson will shoot their point total up. With Hughes missing 14 games and Pettersson struggling, they finished three games out of the final spot. There are always changes to the playoffs, and the Western Conference changed a lot in the offseason. On paper, the Canucks are a better team than the Los Angeles Kings and the St Louis Blues, which should end in a postseason berth.
