Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir ready for expanded role vs. Steelers

ORCHARD PARK - One minute he was there, the next minute he was gone.

Khalil Shakir left Buffalo Bills practice behind the fieldhouse Wednesday, but not because he was injured - which has been a bit of a thing this season for the Bills.

No, Shakir was fine, but he had to make the journey across the parking lot to Highmark Stadium to work on catching punts because it appears he’s going to be the man replacing injured Jamison Crowder in that role Sunday when the Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Why would he have to make that trek over to the stadium? Because coach Sean McDermott tries to cover every base and he knows that catching punts in the swirling winds inside the stadium is different than doing so on the practice field.

“I would say it just goes back to preparation,” Shakir said. “Not much wind today but every single day getting out there and preparing the best way.”

Crowder had been returning punts but he broke his ankle last week in Baltimore and may be done for the season so Shakir is the next man up for that job, especially since Micah Hyde - who has done it in the past - is also out for the season.

Returning punts is a critical job, first and foremost, because it can be a volatile play if something goes wrong, namely a fumble. That creates a huge field position switch if the punt returner coughs it up, so Shakir was in the stadium trying to get a handle on how the ball might be affected.

“They’re always telling me to make the best decision,” said the rookie fifth-round pick out of Boise State who had 24 returns for 180 yards in college. “If you can go get it, go get it, and if not, just play it safe and make sure that I’m locked in.”

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More importantly, though, will be Shakir’s role in the offense Sunday because Crowder’s injury jumped Shakir one spot up the depth chart behind Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie. And if McKenzie, who is in concussion protocol, can’t play, Shakir will be in line for major playing time.

Last week, after both Crowder and McKenzie went down by midway through the third quarter, Shakir became the slot receiver and he caught two passes for 23 yards, the second of those coming on the game-winning drive where he made a nice toe tap on the left sideline.

“I think he’s constantly gotten better and really done a good job of working,” said offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. “Got a lot of faith in him. I think Josh has lots of faith in him, and I think he’ll be able to step in and do a lot of good things for us.”

Dorsey is right, Allen does have plenty of faith in the 6-foot, 190-pounder who has shown the ability to line up inside and outside.

“I know he’s really only had a little bit of game action, but the trust that I have in him, it’s way up there knowing that he’s going to be in the right spot,” Allen said. “He knows multiple roles - he can play the Z, he can play the F, and he goes in there and he blocks his butt off.”

Allen raved about both catches Shakir made. The first came on a quick screen where, Allen said, “He caught that first little screen pass … just feeling pressure and having two hands on the ball, given the conditions, making a guy miss, getting the first down and keeping the drive alive, that was huge for us.”

The second, where Allen pulled a magic trick to escape being sacked, “That last play scrambling around and him just trusting me and trusting the base rules and our scramble rules and making a big catch there.”

Shakir flashed at training camp and in the preseason games, but given the depth at receiver at the start of the season, he was going to have to wait his turn. Well, his turn has arrived and he has belied his youth with the way he has handled it.

“The other day Diggs was talking about, ‘I can’t tell if you’re nervous or how you’re feeling’ and me, I just laugh,” Shakir said. “How I’m talking to you is how I am 24/7. Just keep it cool, chill, being a laid-back person. My dad, one of the main things (he taught me) was to control my emotions.”

Buffalo Bills injury report improves slightly for Week 5

There was a little movement in the right direction on the lengthy injury report as center Mitch Morse participated fully for the first time since he suffered an elbow injury against Tennessee. And McKenzie went from not practicing to limited participation, meaning he’s progressing nicely through the concussion protocol.

Gabe Davis, who is hobbled by an ankle injury, was a full participant for a second straight day.

On the downside, Thursday was a second consecutive did not participate for safety Jordan Poyer (ribs), tight end Dawson Knox (foot and hamstring), and linebacker (Tremaine Edmunds), while defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Ed Oliver remain limited which means their status really hasn’t changed at all.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir ready for expanded role vs. Steelers