30 most important Buffalo Bills players of 2025: No. 8 Khalil Shakir

As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2025 NFL season, we'll take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. They have a ton of cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they'll have help from some new additions as well.

Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top 30 most important players on the roster. We'll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to what they'll offer in 2025, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.

Next up on the countdown is Khalil Shakir.

Background

Position: Wide receiver

Age at start of season: 25

Experience: Fourth year

2025 cap hit: $2,586,787

2024 recap

Khalil Shakir had a breakout season in 2024 due to quarterback Josh Allen trusting him to be his number one guy. Shakir set career-highs in targets (100), receptions (76), and receiving yards (821), and Shakir was the team leader in all three categories. Shakir is a reliable weapon, and he was rewarded this offseason with a four-year, $53 million extension.

2025 outlook

Shakir once again projects to be the leader in the wide receiver room for the Bills and will most likely be one of the most targeted and most productive weapons in the offense. Even with new faces coming along like Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, and with guys like Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid poised to take the next step, Shakir will be a major factor because he and Allen have a rapport that has proven to be effective.

Biggest question: Will the ankle injury affect the beginning of the season?

Head coach Sean McDermott said that Shakir is "on pace" to be ready for Week 1 against the Ravens after suffering a high ankle sprain at practice in early August. If he does play Week 1, will the ankle injury still be lingering? High ankles can be tricky, and reports have stated that Shakir would be out for four-to-five weeks, which would be right around Week 1. Shakir's elusiveness in terms of route running and running after the catch will be something to monitor at the start of the season.

30 Most Important Bills of 2025

Check back as we continue to countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2025 season.

No. 30 DT T.J. Sanders, No. 29 LB Dorian Williams, No. 28 DT Larry Ogunjobi, No. 27 Alec Anderson, No. 26 DE A.J. Epenesa, No. 25 DT DaQuan Jones, No. 24 TE Dawson Knox, No. 23 WR Elijah Moore, No. 22 WR Joshua Palmer, No. 21 S Cole Bishop, No. 20 K Tyler Bass, No. 19 WR Keon Coleman, No. 18 G David Edwards, No. 17 DE Joey Bosa, No. 16 G O'Cyrus Torrence, No. 15 CB Max Hairston, No. 14 TE Dalton Kincaid, No. 13 LB Matt Milano, No. 12 DT Ed Oliver, No. 11 S Taylor Rapp, No. 10 RB James Cook, No. 9 C Connor McGovern.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 30 most important Buffalo Bills players of 2025: No. 8 Khalil Shakir