The Buffalo Bills will be down a veteran wide receiver this season, and likely looking to add at the position in the coming weeks.
![Buffalo Bills WR Headed to Injured Reserve, Creating Void in Josh Allen's Arsenal 1 Chase Claypool, Buffalo Bills](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/USATSI_21603334-1024x683.jpg)
Tuesday, the Bills placed wide receiver Chase Claypool on injured reserve, ending his 2024 campaign, after the 26-year-old suffered a toe injury that sidelined him for the majority of training camp, to date.
“It’s a shame because [some new players have] missed a considerable amount of time — Chase being one of them,” Bills head coach McDermott recently told reporters when asked about Claypool during camp. ” … It’s just hard to evaluate when the players aren’t out there, whether it’s Chase or anybody. And I know he’s fighting like crazy to get back, and we’re anxious to have him back.”
The former Pittsburgh Steeler, Chicago Bear, and Miami Dolphin had been aiming to revive his career alongside quarterback Josh Allen as part of a Buffalo receiving corps largely in the infancy of a rebuild after dealing Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in a blockbuster trade this offseason.
Claypool’s latest injury casts doubt over his NFL future, especially after struggling to find consistent playing time and production the past two seasons.
Through his first four NFL seasons, Claypool has caught 175 passes for 2,261 yards with 13 touchdowns since being chosen by the Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Where Buffalo Bills WR Corps Stands After Chase Claypool Injury
![Buffalo Bills WR Headed to Injured Reserve, Creating Void in Josh Allen's Arsenal 2 Chase Claypool, Buffalo Bills](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/USATSI_19472885-1024x683.jpg)
The Bills are looking for young players to emerge around Allen in the receiving corps, and there is even more pressure for a top target to emerge in Claypool’s absence.
Khalil Shakir likely gets the first crack at becoming the Bills’ No. 1 wide receiver out of training camp, thanks in large part to his strong finish to 2023 where he caught 45 passes for 611 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, rookie Keon Coleman has made a strong impression throughout the spring and summer.
“He’s a big-bodied receiver and will be really good in the red-zone and short-yardage situations,” the scout told me recently, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about a player on another team. “He’s not going to replace Stefon Diggs stretching the field, because he’s a build speed guy, but he’s long, athletic and has a big catch radius. It’s easy to see why he’ll be a fan-favorite from day 1.”
![Buffalo Bills WR Headed to Injured Reserve, Creating Void in Josh Allen's Arsenal 3 Chase Claypool, Buffalo Bills](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/USATSI_21495677-1024x683.jpg)
Follow Matt Lombardo on Threads at @MattLombardoNFL. To read more of our articles and in-depth NFL coverage, click here.
Our Partners
![Buffalo Bills WR Headed to Injured Reserve, Creating Void in Josh Allen's Arsenal 4 Book An Athlete Appearance MSM 2023 CTA 720x90 1](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Book-An-Athlete-Appearance-MSM-2023-CTA-720x90-1.webp)
![Buffalo Bills WR Headed to Injured Reserve, Creating Void in Josh Allen's Arsenal 5 book athlete 1 1 600x600 1](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/book_athlete-1-1-600x600-1-300x300.webp)