Buffalo Bills Lose 3rd WR, Injuries Pile up Ahead of Divisional Game vs. Denver Broncos
The Buffalo Bills lost a third receiver to injury in a week as multiple injuries pile up before they head to Denver for the Divisional Round.
The Buffalo Bills are beginning to look like the walking wounded; they lost a third wide receiver in a week.
Buffalo was already dealing with a ton of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, and the news just keeps getting worse.
That's bad news for the Bills, and good news for the Denver Broncos ahead of the teams' Divisional Round playoff game this Saturday afternoon.
Tyrell Shavers, Gabe Davis each tore ACL in win over Jacksonville Jaguars
Wideout Gabe Davis was carted off the field during the Bills 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, when he tore his ACL, and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday that Tyrell Shavers tore his ACL, too.
Bills WR Tyrell Shavers has torn his ACL, per coach Sean McDermott. Another massive hit to an already very injured wide receiver room
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg.bsky.social) 2026-01-13T20:28:23.874Z
Add them to Joshua Palmer, who was placed on the Injured Reserve in the lead up to the Wild Card game.
Shavers was doing a great job as a blocking wideout on the Bills outside screen game on Sunday. He also contributed 1 catch for 14 yards in the win.
Wildly, Shavers actually tore his ACL in the first half and continued to play through the pain.
“I believe it happened somewhere second quarter when we went out there to look at him and for him to then come back into the game and then for it to turn out to be what it was is remarkable," McDermott said Tuesday. "Remarkable toughness, remarkable commitment to the team.”
Davis, who was formerly with the Jaguars in May, 2025, was signed by Buffalo on their practice squad with an IR designation. And then was eventually elevated to the active roster in November. He had a season-high 5 receptions for 41 yards against the Jets in Week 18, but only 2 catches for 14 yards vs. Jacksonville before tearing his ACL.
Davis and Shavers were depth pieces the Bills no longer have, at a position decimated by injury.
In fact, the Bills official depth chart doesn't list anyone behind starters Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Brandin Cooks. Even Coleman is the backup to Shakir; Davis is still listed as one of the starters.
Buffalo did sign WR Kristian Wilkerson to their practice squad today. He has 6 catches for 60 yards and 3 TD in his career, with New England (2021) and Las Vegas (2024).
Simply, the Bills receiving options are extremely limited, right when they play the Denver Broncos, with arguably the deepest cornerback group in the league.
Shakir was the star on Sunday against the Jags; he had a season-high 12 catches for 82 yards in the win. Brandin Cooks, the 12-year pro who the Bills signed after he was waived by the Saints this year, had 3 catches for 58 yards.
Coleman, who's been a disappointment for the Bills in his second season, had 1 reception for 36 yards on Sunday.
Enter Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox
While the Bills receivers are decimated by injury, Buffalo has two talented tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
In fact, the two are second and third respectively on the team in yards, and Kincaid's 5 TD receptions lead the Bills. They each had 3 receptions on Sunday, and Kincaid caught Josh Allen's only touchdown throw of the Wild Card game.
Even with a full compliment of receivers, it was possible the Broncos would put Patrick Surtain on Kincaid. It seems more likely he'll shadow Shakir, who went off last week, and Riley Moss will probably match up with Coleman.
Meanwhile, Ja'Quan McMillian and rookie Jhadae Barron will likely draw the assignments of covering those tremendous tight ends.
Broncos defense will need to focus even more on stopping the run
The Buffalo Bills are the No. 1 running team in the NFL, so the Broncos were already likely focused on stopping the run, but as receivers drop like flies, Denver will focus on the run even more now.
Josh Allen is the best running quarterback in the NFL. He had two rushing touchdowns as part of the Bills win on Sunday. And now that three of his receivers all landed on the IR over the last week, he'll likely be looking to run even more this Saturday.
Rich Kurtzman
It's not just Allen who's a threat, although his 579 yards and 14 touchdowns, each tops for QBs, are worrisome for Denver.
It's also James Cook, who ran for a league-leading 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, who the Broncos need to bottle up.
Jacksonville gave Denver a great blueprint. They held Cook to 46 yards on the ground and Allen to only 33 yards, with the two scores, though.
It should be noted that the Jags were the No. 1 run defense this year, and Denver's No. 2. So, it's possible the Broncos could at least mimic that brilliant performance this week.
But keep in mind, the Bills huge offensive line bullied the Broncos in the teams' Wild Card match in last year's playoffs.
Buffalo ran for 210 yards and 1 touchdown in that game, with Cook having 120 yards and the score. Denver is deeper on defense this year and has key additions Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, who should help slow down that attack.
The Broncos only allowed 91.1 rushing yards per game this year (3rd-best), and 11 rushing scores (4th-best).
Rich Kurtzman
Other Bills injuries
The Bills are injured up and down the roster.
- Starting safety Jordan Poyer is out this week according to McDermott. Damar Hamlin, who's been on IR since October, could replace Poyer. Or struggling rookie Jordan Hancock could if Hamlin can't play.
- Josh Allen is dealing with his foot injury sustained in Week 17, and then hit his throwing hand on a teammate's helmet, and strained his knee while running in the team's first touchdown vs. Jacksonville.
- Backup running back Ray Davis was slightly injured on his fumbled kickoff return in the first half but returned to action.
- Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who tore a bicep in November, had his IR practice window opened today. He could play this week, but it's not guaranteed.
- WR Curtis Samuel also had his practice window opened and could possibly play against the Broncos in the Divisional Round. Samuel only has 7 receptions for 81 yards and 1 TD this year.
Note: Neither the Bills nor Broncos official Injury Reports are out for the Divisional Round yet.
The Broncos are expected to have linebacker Dre Greenlaw back this week. They will be without starting safety Brandon Jones, who was place on the IR in mid-December.
Running back J.K. Dobbins is getting closer to returning to the field, but it won't be this week. He and center Luke Wattenberg could return for the AFC Championship Game if Denver makes it.
Besides that, the Broncos are very healthy considering they're coming off the bye week, earned with their No. 1 seed.
Surprisingly, the Bills are still 1.5-point favorites despite all the injury trouble and the fact they are playing on the road.
The Broncos are 17-5 (.773) all-time at home in the playoffs, and 10-6 all-time in the Divisional Round. Meanwhile, the Bills just won their first road playoff game in 33 years.
Also, Sean Payton is 4-0 coming off the bye in the playoffs.
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