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

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has the Buffalo Bills offense firing on all cylinders for three weeks, and not in the typical fashion led by Josh Allen. Brady took a lot of weight off Allen’s shoulders by utilizing the running game, getting the ball out quickly in the passing game and letting receivers run after the catch. No player on offense has benefited more from this philosophy in the passing game 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 is currently 100% (pretty good) as he caught all 14 of his targets within three weeks. In fact, Shakir has scored 27 consecutive goals since last year, which is an all-time NFL record.

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

He’s already scored two touchdowns on catch-and-runs this year, breaking both tackles to find the end zone. We’ve seen some flashes from Shakir in his first two years in the league, but now he’s getting his chance to shine. Not only is he getting looks on offense now, but they are also high quality looks. The ball gets 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) take on 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 all major receiving stats. He is the team leader in receptions (14), targets (14), receiving yards (168), receiving touchdowns (2) and receiving yards per game (56.0).