Bills Linked to a 1,282-Yard Rookie Star Who Has Fallen to Fourth on His Depth Chart

Brian Thomas Jr. has nine catches in six games for Jacksonville, and the Buffalo Bills could use a deep threat while DJ Moore's shoulder keeps him sidelined.

by Nishant Gupta

Oct 20, 2026

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a receiver question to answer before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and Brian Thomas Jr. is a name that keeps surfacing on the market. Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame ranked the Jacksonville Jaguars receiver eighth among 15 players who could be moved and listed the Bills as a potential fit, along with the Los Angeles Rams.

Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie in 2024. Verderame writes that he has since fallen to fourth on the depth chart behind Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and rookie Josh Cameron. Thomas played 15 snaps, all in the first half, of Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans in London and was held without a catch for a second straight game. He has nine catches for 105 yards and one touchdown through six games.

Why the fit works in Buffalo

Oct 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to pass during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Buffalo heads into its Week 7 bye at 5-1 after a 33-30 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and it got there without DJ Moore. The receiver Buffalo acquired from the Chicago Bears in March was inactive Sunday with the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 2. Keon Coleman led Bills wide receivers in Las Vegas with four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Thomas would give Josh Allen another vertical target to work with in Orchard Park. His average depth of target is 14.2 yards this season, according to PFF, although his 57.4 overall grade ranks 75th of 80 wide receivers. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence said after the London loss that the targets will come. “It’ll come his way. He’s too good of a player for it not to,” Lawrence said.

Prying Thomas loose is another matter. Tom Pelissero reported this month that Jacksonville “has shown no interest in trading the former first-round pick,” and Verderame wrote that it might take a rich offer to move Jaguars general manager James Gladstone. Houston sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals in the Marvin Harrison Jr. deal, the most recent comparison point for a young receiver. Thomas carries a cap hit of about $4 million this season and $4.7 million in 2027, and a fifth-year option decision comes next spring. Buffalo would be betting that a new offense brings back the 2024 version of Thomas, and Beane has until Nov. 10 to decide whether that bet is worth a premium pick.