A forgotten Buffalo Bills player could be more important in 2026 than anyone realizes
A player that’s flown under the radar could end up being one of the Buffalo Bills’ most important pieces in 2026.
The Buffalo Bills have a forgotten player who could be more important to the team’s offensive success than anyone realizes in 2026.
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Josh Palmer signed a 3-year deal with Buffalo before the 2025 season after spending his first four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. Palmer had moderate success in Los Angeles, surpassing 500 receiving yards in each season from 2022 to 2024. His best year came in 2022 when he caught 72 passes for 769 yards and three touchdowns.
Palmer is the type of wide receiver who’s never going to be the star of the show. He’s typically reliable, has experience, and can be the guy who makes some big plays even if the box score doesn’t wow you.
Unfortunately, Palmer’s 2025 season with the Bills didn’t go as planned. He caught just 22 passes for 303 yards and zero touchdowns while playing in 12 games. Palmer battled knee injuries throughout the season, and even when he was on the field, he wasn’t himself.
The NFL makes it easy to forget about guys when they don’t show up in the stat sheet. But Palmer is just 26 years old (he’ll turn 27 in September). He’s still in the prime of his career, and it’s showing during training camp.
Josh Palmer is turning heads at Bills training camp
Palmer has been routinely praised over the last couple of weeks for having a great camp, and he showed up on Friday by making one of hist best plays of camp. He hauled in an impressive jumping catch over defensive back Dee Alford that had reporters talking.
There’s a good chance Palmer ends up being the Bills’ No. 3 wide receiver, and it’s no surprise given the praise he’s received from teammates for the work he’s put in this offseason.
“He’s probably one of, if not the hardest workers I know,” said Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir recently when asked about Palmer. “I mean, the dude is up before all of us. He’s working in the training room and weight room longer than us. He’s in there before us. He’s really honed in on getting himself better every single day in all aspects of football.”
Guys like DJ Moore are getting the attention this offseason, and there’s been a lot of talk about whether Keon Coleman can make an impact in his third season with Buffalo. But Palmer is a guy flying under the radar who could end up being a very important piece of this offense.
He may not end up going over 1,000 yards or making the Pro Bowl, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes some key catches this season that help the Bills win some important games.
