As the new league year is underway, the team has begun remaking itself under Joe Brady’s leadership and it has begun with the coaching staff. With new faces in the building, what changes can we expect to see, who stands most ready to benefit, and what could it mean for the upcoming offseason?
Drew Terrell, In His Youth
At 34 years old, the hiring of Drew Terrell continues the youth movement amongst the coaching staff. Terrell was raised in Arizona, went to Hamilton High School and was ranked the 82nd WR in that year’s recruiting class that also included Alshon Jeffery at 12th and Marquise Goodwin at 24th.
Terrell went on to play college ball as a 5’10, 175 pound hybrid slot receiver and punt returner for the Stanford Cardinals, playing from 2009-2012. In that time, he logged 44 catches for 557 yards and 5 touchdowns and contributed on special teams as a punt returner with 113 returns for 797 yards and 1 touchdown. He was an honorable mention in the All-Pac12 teams from 2010-2012, though the spotlight was on teammates Andrew Luck and Zach Ertz, along with the Head Coach who had recruited him, who himself garnered back to back All PAC 12 coach of the year titles, David Shaw. Shaw had helped to recruit Terrell as position coach under Jim Harbaugh in 2009, had become OC and Head coach during Terrell’s tenure, and held that role until 2022, when he resigned and then was selected to serve as the Detroit Lions passing game coordinator in 2024.
Upon graduating, Terrell was invited to join the Virginia Tech Hokies as a graduate assistant by former Stanford graduate assistant and new WR coach Aaron Moorehead, before leaving to join Jim Harbaugh again as a graduate assistant at Michigan.
In 2018, Terrell made the jump to the NFL, serving as an offensive quality control coach for the Carolina Panthers, though he did not overlap with Brandon Beane who had left for the Bills in 2016.
In 2020, Terrell took a position as assistant WR coach for the Washington Commanders, following longtime NFL position coach Jim Hostler who had served with him on the Panthers. Terrell was promoted to WR coach when Hostler was promoted to Senior Offensive Assistant.
In 2023, the Commanders brought in Eric Bienemy who wanted his own guys in place, putting Terrell on the coaching market. He landed with the Arizona Cardinals, under HC Jonathan Gannon, OC Drew Petzing, and Assistant HC/Special Teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers who has also currently signed on as Buffalo Bills Special Teams coordinator.
In 2026, Terrell joins the Buffalo Bills as WR coach after being in consideration for the OC position of the Atlanta Falcons.
What Drew Terrell brings to the Buffalo Bills
While with the Commanders and Cardinals, Terrell’s biggest calling card seems to be the ability to shape and improve young receivers’ route running and ability to operate in an offense and get open down the field.
Under Terrell’s tutelage, Terry McLaurin had 3 straight 1000+ yard seasons with Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Taylor Heinecke, Carson Wentz and Sam Howell throwing passes. Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson both had back to back 500+ yard receiving seasons while sharing the passing attack with TEs and RB out of the backfield.
That pattern of multiple receivers making contributions continued while he was with the Cardinals with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson,posting 500+ yard seasons in back to back years, while seeing TEs and RBs catch passes from Kyler Murray.
Hopefully, this will mean an improvement in WR production and development, as the Bills have failed to produce at least 2 receivers with 500+ yards in both of the last 2 seasons. This likely won’t signal a return to the years where Diggs, Gabe Davis, Cole Beasley, and Emmanuel Sanders all had 500+ yards, but any improvement in contributions from WR in the passing game would be welcome.
The biggest question I want to find answers to this season is this: Will young receivers finally learn how to get open?
Khalil Shakir continues to be great for the Bills. In 2025, he had 72 catches for 719 yards, and a target share of 19%. He had 1.71 yards per route run, despite his average depth of target being only 3 yards. These numbers don’t even make sense until you see that he had 541 yards after catch. All those bubble screens make sense.
Compare that to both Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Michael Wilson had 78 receptions for 1006 yards, with a target share of 29%. He had 1.51 yards per route run with only 273 yards after catch and his average depth of target was just under 12 yards.
Marvin Harrison only played 12 games due to a foot injury, but still put up 41 catches for 608 yards and a target share of 18%. He had a yards per route run of 1.58 with only 119 yards after catch and his average depth of target was 12.96.
The big picture seems to be this: Under Drew Terrell, WRs tend to get open down the field.
And he’s never coached WRs who are catching balls from Josh Allen.
Who Benefits the Most?
Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman would stand to benefit immensely from the coaching of Drew Terrell, who may both see their ADOTs and EPAs rise. If he can improve Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer’s route running, and they can both take the next steps in their professionalism and preparedness, both players could take big steps forward in the coming year.
Curtis Samuel is the only current Bills player who also played for Drew Terrell, when they were both with the Commanders. Can Drew Terrell help Samuel to have a resurgence this year or could he do even more with Brandon Cooks who had so much success with the Saints?
Watch out for Free Agency to change the look of the Bills WR position, as Terrell’s presence could help the Bills attract the attention of Terrell’s former players, including Dyami Brown, Greg Dortch, Jahan Dotson, or even former Buffalo Bill, Zay Jones. These complementary players could bolster a WR room that struggled last year to consistently get open for Josh Allen, while challenging Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer for target share next year.