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Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady and QB Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills added a new wide receiver in the NFL draft, then found more help with an undrafted free agent coming off a long and productive college career.
NFL reporter Aaron Wilson noted that the Bills signed former Kentucky receiver Ja’Mari Maclin shortly after the draft ended. The Bills have addressed the position thoroughly over the last three days, looking to fill some gaps left with the departure of some veterans.
“Ja’Mori Maclin, receiver, Kentucky signing with #Bills per a league source,” Wilson wrote in a post on X.
Maclin will now get the chance to compete for a roster spot this spring, but he could face some difficulty amid a crowded wide receiver room.
Maclin had a six-year college career where he made 100 receptions for 1,891 yards with 17 touchdowns. As Lee Ann Herring Olvedo of USA Today’s UK Wildcats Wire noted, Maclin showed his potential at Kentucky.
“Across his time in Lexington, Maclin showed flashes of his vertical ability and situational value, contributing as a field-stretcher and depth option in a system that leaned heavily on the run game and play-action concepts,” Olvedo wrote. “The production didn’t jump off the page the way it did at North Texas—but the context matters. Kentucky asked him to win selectively, not volume-wise—and that’s exactly what he did.”
Olvedo noted that Maclin showed off his potential in 2023, when he notched 57 receptions for 1,004 yards at North Texas.
The Bills added a pair of other undrafted free agent receivers, Max Tomczak from Youngstown State and Gabriel Benyard from Kennesaw State. They will likely compete for a spot at the bottom of the roster or the practice squad.
The Bills invested a fourth-round pick on a wide receiver, taking Connecticut’s Skyler Bell. NFL.com expert Lance Zierlein noted that he can grow into a productive starter, though has some areas in need of improvement.
“Bell is an inside/outside target with adequate size and field-stretching speed,” Zierlein wrote. “He has the tools to beat press quickly and the acceleration/cut quickness to open clean windows. While he’s sudden in and out of his break points, his route-running can be a tad mechanical at times. Bell’s catch focus appeared sharper in 2025 but his career drop total rivals his touchdown total.”
The Bills have undergone some changes at wide receiver, cutting ties with veteran Curtis Samuel. They have another pair of veterans — Gabe Davis and Brandin Cooks — who hit free agency and may not return next year. The Bills also face a decision on third-year receiver Keon Coleman, who was benched twice for disciplinary reasons.
There could be an opening for Maclin and the other rookie receivers to compete for a spot on the roster after a late-season injury to Tyrell Shavers. He suffered a torn ACL in the team’s playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and could miss at least the start of the season. Shavers played an important role both in the offense and on special teams.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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