Orchard Park, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers tore his ACL in the second quarter of Sunday’s Wild Card playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Shavers got it checked out at halftime and returned to the game, playing 22 of Buffalo’s 34 offensive snaps in the second half.
“Tough loss,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said on Tuesday.
Shavers underwent additional testing on Monday when the Bills returned to Buffalo. The latest tests revealed he tore the left ACL, and he’ll miss the remainder of the season.
“Just amazing what he was able to do to come back into the game and play the way that he did,” McDermott said. “For him to come back into the game and then for it to turn out to be what it was is remarkable. Remarkable toughness and remarkable commitment to the team.”
Shavers’ rise up the depth chart has been a true underdog story. He signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Alabama. He hung around on Buffalo’s practice squad the first season with the Bills and then received an opportunity late in the 2024 season and cashed in. He scored a 69-yard touchdown in Week 17 win against the New York Jets.
The Bills’ receiver room underwent a slight overhaul in the offseason as the team said goodbye to veterans Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper. Shavers had another chance to make a run at a roster spot and turned a big-play-filled preseason into a 53-man roster spot.
Shavers played 39% of the offensive snaps for the Bills, the third-most of any receiver on their roster. He played in 17 regular-season games and started more games (9) than any receiver except for Khalil Shakir.
The loss of Shavers comes at a brutal time for the Bills with a road playoff game up next against the No. 1 seed in the AFC – the Denver Broncos. The Bills have lost multiple receivers over the past few weeks. Gabe Davis also suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. The Bills placed veteran receiver Josh Palmer on injured reserve last week with a foot/ankle injury, ending his season.
The Bills are hoping veteran receiver Curtis Samuel, who’s been on injured reserve since late November, can return this weekend. His 21-day practice window was officially opened on Tuesday, and he’s practicing in some capacity (an official injury report will be released later today by the team).
The loss of Davis and Shavers means second-year receiver Keon Coleman steps into a more prominent role against the Broncos. He was benched on two separate occasions in 2025 for being late to team meetings. He was a healthy scratch in multiple games in December before returning to the lineup in Week 18 against the New York Jets. Coleman caught the one pass that was thrown his way against the Jaguars. He broke a tackle and turned it into a 34-yard gain that set up a Josh Allen rushing touchdown.
McDermott said the Bills will need more from Coleman.
“He, along with others, need to step up and confident he will,” McDermott said. “He’s moving in the right direction. … His growth is going to be important for us down the stretch here.”
The Bills signed veteran receiver Kristian Wilkerson to the practice squad and placed Davis on injured reserve on Tuesday. Wilkerson was with the Bills in the summer at training camp. Buffalo also has veteran receiver Mecole Hardman on its practice squad. He could be in the mix to play against the Broncos.
