Football Archives

The newest addition to Buffalo's wide receiver room looks nothing like the rest of it. At 6-foot-5, Quentin Skinner is now the tallest player at his position on the Bills' roster, and that frame is the headline trait behind why Buffalo claimed him off waivers from the New York Jets on July 14, just days before training camp opens. The Bills confirmed the move in an official roster transaction posted to their team website on July 15, releasing receiver Deven Thompkins in the corresponding move. A Walk-On's Long Road to the NFL Skinner's story starts well before Kansas. Out of Claremore High School in Oklahoma, a torn ACL during his senior season limited him to a handful of NCAA Division II offers. He bet on himself instead, accepting a walk-on spot with the Jayhawks. He redshirted in 2020 and earned a scholarship as a freshman in 2021, when he led the team in special-teams snaps before developing into a full-time receiver. Over his final three seasons at Kansas, Skinner averaged roughly 500 receiving yards a year, finishing his college career with 80 receptions for 1,584 yards and 11 touchdowns. He led the Big 12 in yards per reception as a senior in 2024, averaging 22.3 yards per catch, elite big-play production for a receiver who started as an unrecruited walk-on. For context on how the sport's talent pipeline usually works, see How Does the NFL Draft Work? Full Rounds Guide 2026. Undrafted, But Not Overlooked Skinner didn't get a combine invite and went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. He ran his pro workout at Kansas' Pro Day instead, posting a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, a 6.94 three-cone time, a 4.34 short shuttle, a 33-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-2 broad jump, solid, not spectacular, testing numbers for a receiver his size. The Jets signed him anyway, giving him $185,000 guaranteed on a three-year deal, the most guaranteed money New York handed any undrafted free agent that offseason, according to Spotrac. He almost made the roster. Skinner caught eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown across three preseason games with the Jets, good enough to make the roster conversation genuinely competitive before New York released him in final cuts and brought him back the next day on the practice squad. Even then, Skinner talked like a player who believed his opportunity was coming. "Playmaker," he told the Jets during last year's training camp, describing what he believed he could bring to an NFL offense. "In any way, shape, or form, inside the slot, outside, just being a playmaker. From route running to high-pointing balls to running deep with speed, I can do it all. I think being physical and blocking is important, too. I can check all the boxes. One NFL Catch, Fittingly, Against Buffalo Skinner's lone NFL appearance came in the 2025 regular-season finale, ironically against the team that would go on to claim him seven months later. He caught one pass for 10 yards and converted a two-point attempt in a 35-8 Jets loss at the old Highmark Stadium, a game that also made him the answer to a piece of franchise trivia as one of the last players to score there before the venue's replacement. Why New York Moved On New York waived Skinner with an injury designation in early June to open a roster spot, and he went unclaimed, reverting to injured reserve. He and the Jets later reached a settlement that put him back on waivers a second time, clearing the way for another team to take a look. Buffalo claimed him July 14 and released receiver Deven Thompkins, who had only joined the Bills on June 21, in the corresponding move. What He's Walking Into in Buffalo Skinner arrives at a moment of real change inside the organization. First-year head coach Joe Brady is promoted from offensive coordinator, and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is switching Buffalo to a 3-4 base scheme, a departure from the 4-3 look Sean McDermott ran for years. On offense, the passing game still runs through franchise quarterback Josh Allen, and the receiver room ahead of Skinner is deep: Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman Jr. and newly acquired DJ Moore, whom Buffalo landed in a trade with the Chicago Bears this offseason, all sit above him on the depth chart. Skinner's 2026 cap hit sits at $515,000, according to Spotrac, and Buffalo would carry no dead cap charge if it releases him, a low-risk, low-cost flier at the bottom of the roster. See How Does the NFL Salary Cap Work? Full 2026 Guide for how cap hits and dead money actually function. What separates him from the rest of that group is the frame. At 6-foot-5, Skinner is taller than every other receiver on Buffalo's roster, and that kind of size plays especially well in contested-catch and red-zone situations, a real, if narrow, opening on a team that could use more size at the position. He's also shown he can handle special-teams work, which matters for a player fighting for one of the final roster spots. The Realistic Outlook Making the 53-man roster is still a long shot. Buffalo isn't desperate enough at receiver to hand a spot to a player with one career catch, and the more likely path has Skinner competing for a practice-squad job while he learns Brady's offense. A strong training camp and preseason could change that math, particularly if he shows he can win contested catches downfield or contribute immediately as a gunner on special teams. Buffalo's rookies report to training camp at St. John Fisher University this week, with veterans following shortly after. The next several weeks of practice reps will decide whether this waiver claim turns into a real training-camp battle or a name that quietly resurfaces on the practice squad come September.