WR Tyrell Shavers, Bills coaches talk 'trust' in each other after effort vs. the Giants

Tyrell Shavers has had an edge thus far in the training camp battle for the WR6 role in the Bills' depth chart.

While players come and go at positions this time of year, while teams' coaching staffs and front offices seek to find the best talent and fit possible for their rosters and practice squads, Shavers has stuck around.

And he made an impact on both sides of the ball in the Bills' first preseason contest.

With less than 15 seconds left in the second quarter, Shavers hauled in a deep-yard pass from QB Mitch Trubisky. He also got involved in making the tackle during the ensuing kickoff.

"It boosted my confidence, immaculately," said Shavers after the game. "Just being able to go out there, with more confidence. And my coaches trust me, my teammates trust me, so being able to make plays like that, is helping me a lot."

His offensive coordinator affirmed the belief he has in him as well.

"I trust Shaves. I think that's a word that is loosely thrown out. But when you have trust in a player and you know they're going to be where they need to be, when they need to be there, both from a quarterback and from a coordinator perspective, it makes our lives so much easier," Joe Brady said. "He's a guy that's just continued to work. Look, he was hurt a couple of days ago, right? You guys saw kind of what happened to him, and he's not 100 percent, but he's like, I got to get out there, I got to practice."

While it may seem unusual to think of him as having had a journeyman's experience at only age 25, the young receiver had several stops in college as a four-star recruit out of high school. He played in 28 games over three seasons for the Alabama Crimson Tide as part of a receiver room that included Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Henry Ruggs. He then transferred for a stop with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and then again to the San Diego State Aztecs.

A player with a rep as a special-teams ace who logged a few blocked kicks at the collegiate level as well, he joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2023, where he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad, inking a reserve/future contract at the end of that season to kick off 2024. He was waived and signed to the practice squad again during roster cuts that August.

"He continues to make progress, continues to make plays. You know, the trust factor with him is, just goes up and up every year," noted head coach Sean McDermott.

"We feel like we know what he can do out at wide out," he added. "He continues to show us that, and it's OK, now, how good can you become on special teams? What phases, or how many phases, can we get out of you? And again, just in terms of versatility and the value overall."

He was called up for games against the Texans and Jets last season, taking another pass from Trubisky to the house in that game for a touchdown thanks to his yards-after-catch abilities.

"That guy is tough as nails. I mean, he is tough. He has an ankle sprain, and he's back, what, the second or third practice, and he's out there limping around," McDermott shared about the gutsy receiver. "The Red & Blue, in the warm-up period, he's running a slant, catches a ball one-handed, kind of still limps off. But he is tough as nails, and he's a true Buffalo Bill in that regard."

Considering he's stuck around until roster cutdown day the past two offseasons, if he keeps it up, Shavers may secure a spot on the 53-player roster.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: WR Tyrell Shavers, Bills coaches talk 'trust' in each other