The Bills’ wide receiver room has been under the microscope for the last two seasons, and even after some movement, the conversation around Josh Allen’s targets still isn’t going away.
Buffalo did take a step by trading for DJ Moore, and the team also added Skyler Bell in the fourth round, a move that could end up looking like a steal. Khalil Shakir is still in the mix, too, which gives Allen more to work with than he had before. But Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer haven’t given the Bills much, and that leaves open the question of whether Buffalo will give them another shot in 2026 or keep searching for more help.
One idea comes from Justin Carter of FanSided.com, who put together a list of trades every NFL division favorite “still needs to make” ahead of the 2026 season. His suggestion has Buffalo sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Xavier Legette.
" This proposed trade is actually one of two things I'd do if I were Bills GM Brandon Beane. First is this move: dealing a mid-round pick for Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette, who hasn't really panned out in Carolina but who has the skill to be a downfield threat with Josh Allen throwing the football." said Carter.
" The other part of this? Recoup some draft capital by then turning around and trading Keon Coleman to a rebuilding team.
I don't think Carolina will want Coleman (hence why he isn't in this deal), but essentially I'm thinking about what's basically a three-team swap that lands Buffalo a more promising young wideout than the one that clearly isn't working out." Carter added.
The connection between Buffalo and Legette goes back to the 2024 draft, when Carolina took him 32nd overall after trading up with the Bills. Buffalo then used the 33rd pick on Coleman, and that choice hasn’t delivered much so far.
Legette has spent two seasons in Carolina’s offense, which has been uneven overall. Bryce Young had some solid stretches last season, but the Panthers still have plenty of questions. Carolina also used an early first-round pick on Tetairoa McMillian in 2025, which raises the possibility that Legette could become expendable sooner rather than later.
So far, Legette has 860 yards and 7 touchdowns in two seasons, missing only three games along the way. Coleman’s numbers are 960 yards and 8 touchdowns, so the gap isn’t huge.
The difference, at least in this proposal, is the quarterback. Legette hasn’t had Allen, and the idea is that Buffalo could get more out of him than Carolina has.
Carter sees Legette as a better deep threat for Allen than Coleman, giving the Bills a different dimension in the passing game and more juice on the long ball.
Even with that logic, it’s still tough to picture the Panthers moving on from Legette only two years into his rookie deal. But as Carter put it, you can never say never.
In Other News...
Bills Just Added O-Line Depth With One Big Catch
Lloyd Cushenberry gives Buffalo another experienced option in the middle of the offensive line after signing a one-year deal in the 2026 offseason. The former Titans center has 80 NFL starts on his rsum, and the Bills are getting a player who knows the position well even if his value comes in a narrower package than some of their other linemen.
That narrower fit is part of what makes this addition interesting. Cushenberry is a center only, while Buffalos other interior blockers bring more positional flexibility, so his path will be tied to how the Bills want to structure the depth chart and how much they trust him coming off a difficult stretch in Tennessee. For a team that has spent plenty of time protecting its quarterback room and shoring up the trenches, this is the kind of move that can look small in March and matter a lot once camp starts sorting out the line. [Read more 🡒]
Bills May Have Another Late Round Defensive Gem Emerging
Brandon Beanes draft record has been a mixed bag at the top, but Buffalo has gotten enough from the middle and later rounds to keep the roster moving in the right direction. Deone Walker is the latest example, a fourth-round pick who forced his way into the starting lineup as a rookie and gave the Bills real production on defense, including a noticeable presence when the games tightened in January.
The bigger question now is how much more he can grow with Jim Leonhard taking over the defense. Walkers development could be especially important if his role shifts deeper into the middle of the front, where Buffalo would need him to anchor the line and hold up against the run while still offering the disruptive traits that made him stand out as a rookie. [Read more 🡒]