Versatile Bills WR wrongly labeled WR a three-game free agency bust

It's hard to complain about the Buffalo Bills' offense through the first three games of the 2024 season. Quarterback Josh Allen is an early MVP favorite after amassing a hugely impressive nine-to-one total touchdown-to-turnover ratio through three weeks and leading an offensive attack that is currently averaging a league-leading 37.3 points per game leads. He was linked to 10 different pass catchers over the course of the season, lending early credence to the “everybody eats” offensive approach that the team has talked about often throughout the summer.

One player who may not have been featured as much as initially expected is Curtis Samuel, who signed a three-year deal with the Bills in March. Samuel was signed after former No. 2 wideout Gabriel Davis left for Jacksonville and was initially expected to serve as a versatile complement to Stefon Diggs. His projected role was increased after Buffalo traded the perennial Pro Bowler to the Houston Texans in April.

Several fans and national pundits expected Samuel to be one of Allen's preferred weapons in the Bills' revamped offense, but he caught just six passes for 40 yards in three weeks. He missed two of Buffalo's three preseason games because of turf toe, an ailment that may be the main reason he played just 46 snaps this season. Bleacher Report's David Kenyon doesn't necessarily think his injury plays a huge role in his non-playing, calling the 28-year-old a player who “already looks like a free agency bust.” in a recent article for the outlet.

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“Curtis Samuel, one of the receivers added after the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs and not signed Gabe Davis, played no role in the first few weeks of 2024,” Kenyon wrote. “Yes, there could be a reasonable asterisk with a turf toe injury that has slowed him down since mid-August. But is that actually a factor?

“Despite being active every weekend this season, Samuel only appeared in 26.9 percent of snaps. Mack Hollins (66.7 percent), rookie Keon Coleman (62.0) and Khalil Shakir (57.9) are well ahead, and even Marquez Valdes-Scantling (38.6) was more involved. Buffalo certainly didn't expect Samuel to just round out the rotation when he signed him for three years and $24 million.”

It seems a little premature to call Samuel – or any offseason addition – a bust at this point, as three games doesn't represent a large enough sample. Still, it seems particularly unfair to consider Samuel a possible bust given his aforementioned turf toe; Typically, it's an injury that lasts depending on the severity, and given that the team never revealed the level of his condition, we really don't know how much of an impact this will have on his snap count. Simply acknowledging Samuel's injury before asking if it is “actually a factor” seems pointless, especially given the wideout's experience with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Samuel's best performance as a pro — his 1,051 scrimmage yard season with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 — came with Brady as his play-caller. The offensive coordinator praised the pass catcher often throughout the offseason, stating that he would do “a little bit of everything” on offense; Logic would dictate that he would use Samuel more often if possible.

It's also not entirely accurate to call Samuel a “non-factor,” as his versatility makes him a player that defenses need to recognize in his (so far few) reps. Proof of this is James Cook's touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. Samuel was an integral part of the score, waving before the snap to create confusion that allowed Cook to sneak into the apartment unattended.

It's certainly possible that Samuel's role in the offense doesn't grow and he ends up being viewed as a free agency bust, but given the factors mentioned above (his injury and previous experience with/success under Brady), that seems highly unlikely. Expect the versatile wideout's offensive presence to increase as his body allows it.

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