The Buffalo Bills’ wide receivers have become a popular topic of conversation in Western New York given the receiving corps’ recent lack of production, the statistical black hole manifesting again in Week 5 in the form of just four combined catches on 18 total targets.
Head coach Sean McDermott spoke about the position group during his Monday media availability, admitting that there was internal “concern” about the unit’s production before specifically speaking about offseason signing Curtis Samuel, who has been an offensive non-factor through five games.
“It is a concern of ours,” McDermott said. “That’s something we have to look at. Curtis is a good football player, we know what he can do with the ball in his hands whether he’s running it or catching it. It is something that we need to look at to make sure that we are maximizing his potential.”
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Samuel, who inked a three-year, $24 million deal with the Bills in the offseason, has only touched the ball 12 times in five games, tallying 48 receiving yards and six rushing yards. He’s averaging a career-low 5.3 yards per catch, his longest play of the season being a 10-yard reception in Week 3. If Samuel remains on his current pace throughout the rest of the campaign, he is looking at roughly 30 receptions for 163 yards, which would, by a substantial margin, be career lows in a season in which many expected him to break out.