The Bills spent the last couple of seasons trying to make the receiver room work by committee, but this year they added more than just another body. They brought in veterans who can help raise the floor, and Jalen Virgil fits that mold as a player trying to carve out a second stint in Buffalo.
Virgil, 27 and turning 28 on 7/13/2026, is listed at 6’1” and 210 pounds. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills on 2/10/2026 after a 2025 that never really got off the ground.
Buffalo had him through the offseason and training camp, and he got into one preseason game before a hamstring injury shut him down. The team placed him on injured reserve on August 14 and then released him with an injury settlement on August 22.
He didn’t land again until November, when the Arizona Cardinals signed him to their practice squad on November 12. That stay lasted only a week, with his release coming on November 19.
He then went unsigned for the rest of the regular season, was drafted to the UFL’s DC Defenders on January 14, and was later released without playing a game before Buffalo brought him back on February 10.
Financially, Virgil is on a one-year deal worth $1.075 million overall, and that same figure would count against the cap if he makes the 53-man roster. There are no guarantees, so the Bills can move on without a dead cap charge if they choose.
The roster math is crowded. Virgil is one of 14 wide receivers currently in the mix, alongside Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, DJ Moore, Joshua Palmer, Mecole Hardman Jr., Trent Sherfield Sr., Ja’Mori Maclin, Mac Dalena, Max Tomczak, Skyler Bell, Tyrell Shavers, Stephen Gosnell, and Deven Thompkins. He has been part of offseason work so far, which at least keeps him in the conversation.
What helps Virgil is that Buffalo already knows what he brings. He played seven games for the Bills in 2024 when Joe Brady was the offensive coordinator, so the system isn’t foreign to him.
He also does the kind of work coaches trust: special teams, blocking, and helping the run game on the perimeter. In that way, he checks a lot of the same boxes that made Tyrell Shavers such a favorite with the Bills last year.
The difference is that Virgil doesn’t catch the ball as cleanly as Shavers, and that matters. A receiver has to be able to finish plays, and that’s the one area where Virgil lags.
Shavers would likely have a firm hold on a roster spot if not for the January ACL tear that is expected to keep him out until at least late in the season. That opens the door for someone like Virgil, especially if Buffalo wants a veteran who can contribute in a special-teams-heavy role.
If Shakir, Moore, Coleman, Palmer, and Bell are the most likely top five at receiver, then the sixth spot becomes all about utility. The Bills could still shake things up before September, including a trade involving Coleman or Palmer, and injuries could change the picture too. But if they keep six wideouts, Virgil looks like a strong candidate to be the one who sticks, with his special teams value and blocking giving him an edge over some of the younger options.
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