As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2025 NFL season, we’ll take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. They have a ton of cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they’ll have help from some new additions as well.
Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top 30 most important players on the roster. We’ll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to what they’ll offer in 2025, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.
Next up on the countdown is Joshua Palmer.
Background
Position: WR
Age at start of season: 25
Experience: Fifth year
2025 cap hit: $4,310,000
2024 recap
Josh Palmer started seven games for the Chargers in 2024, catching 39 of 65 targets for 584 yards and one touchdown. Palmer was used a lot as a downfield target for Justin Herbert and the Chargers, as his 15 yards per reception ranked 14th in the NFL last year. Despite a lack of targets in a low-volume passing attack, Palmer still put up solid numbers and put good route running on film.
2025 outlook
Still just 25 years old, Brandon Beane and the Bills are banking on Palmer’s best days being ahead of him. He can come in and fill in the Amari Cooper role as a downfield and intermediate target for Josh Allen. Given that he was one of the premiere signings of the offseason (3 years, $36 million), Palmer should be getting looks early on offense. He’ll be one of many different pass catchers that Allen will throw to as the team leans into the “everybody eats” mantra again in 2025.
Biggest question: Will he earn a consistent target share?
Palmer signed the fifth-most expensive WR contract in free agency this year and he landed in a heck of a situation where he will be catching passes from MVP Josh Allen. He has shown that he can do a little of everything as a wide receiver, specifically excelling in route running and catching the ball downfield. We know that Allen can rely on Khalil Shakir, and he’s working on building that reliability with Dalton Kincaid, but those are guys who operate mostly in the middle of the field. If Palmer can come in and be consistent, then Allen will have a downfield target that he can rely on on the perimeter. There will be opportunities for him to separate himself from the likes of Keon Coleman and Elijah Moore, but he’ll have to earn trust from Allen and Joe Brady first.
30 Most Important Bills of 2025
Check back as we continue to countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2025 season.
No. 30 DT T.J. Sanders, No. 29 LB Dorian Williams, No. 28 DT Larry Ogunjobi, No. 27 Alec Anderson, No. 26 DE A.J. Epenesa, No. 25 DT DaQuan Jones, No. 24 WR Elijah Moore, No. 23 TE Dawson Knox.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Previewing the 30 most important Bills players including Josh Palmer