The Buffalo Bills parted ways with wide receiver Gabe Davis, their 2020 fourth-round pick, ahead of the 2024 season—a decision that, in hindsight, is tough to criticize.
Davis joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he recorded career lows in key metrics such as yards per catch, yards per game, and catch percentage. His struggles culminated in a torn left meniscus during a blowout 52-6 loss to the Detroit Lions on November 17, sidelining him for the rest of the season. The Jaguars released the 26-year-old UCF alum on May 8 after he failed a physical.
However, the Bills’ attempt to upgrade by signing Curtis Samuel also fell flat. Buffalo brought in the former Ohio State receiver on a three-year, \$24 million deal, but based on his first season, it’s hard to argue the team got their money’s worth.
Addition of Elijah Moore Makes Samuel Expendable
Curtis Samuel, a second-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2017 and a national champion at Ohio State during the 2014 season, struggled to make an impact in his first year with the Buffalo Bills. He totaled just 253 receiving yards on 46 targets and scored only one touchdown.
Following the 2025 NFL Draft, the Bills further reshaped their receiving corps by signing free agent Elijah Moore to a reported one-year, \$5 million deal. Moore, who played for the Cleveland Browns in 2024, posted 538 yards on 102 targets. Buffalo also brought in free agents Joshua Palmer and Laviska Shenault, and selected Maryland’s Kaden Prather in the seventh round. These additions join a wide receiver group that already includes Khalil Shakir, rookie Keon Coleman, and Samuel—setting up intense competition for roster spots.
“Palmer signed a three-year deal, and Moore brings more explosiveness than Samuel,” wrote Brandon Ray of Fansided. “It wouldn’t be shocking to see Samuel cut by the end of the summer if he can’t outperform his new teammates in training camp.”
Ray added that while Samuel has the benefit of familiarity with the Bills’ offensive system, “production on the field is what matters—and Samuel hasn’t delivered so far.”
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report also recently projected a bleak outlook for Samuel’s future in Buffalo.
Bills Take $12 Million Dead Cap Hit to Cut Samuel
“The Bills are chasing a championship and may ultimately decide that Samuel’s roster spot is more valuable than his cap hit,” wrote Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, noting that releasing Samuel would only save Buffalo $430,000. With the offseason additions of Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, and rookie Kaden Prather, Knox suggested the team could view Samuel as expendable.
Still, Brandon Ray of Fansided pointed to one significant factor that could work in Samuel’s favor: the financial burden of cutting him. “The only important factor to consider is that if the Bills were to release Samuel, they would take on a $12 million dead cap hit,” Ray explained in an earlier piece advocating for Samuel’s release. “That itself might keep Samuel on the roster.”
However, Ray also reminded readers that Bills general manager Brandon Beane hasn’t shied away from absorbing hefty dead money in the past. He referenced the blockbuster trade that sent Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans prior to last season—an aggressive move that left Buffalo with a staggering $31 million dead cap charge just to move on from their former star wideout.
