Trent Sherfield looks to make a bigger impact in his second stint with the Bills

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 07: Trent Sherfield #16 of the Buffalo Bills catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Buffalo Bills have fourteen wide receivers in camp, which is more players than they have at any single position right now. Buffalo will likely keep just six of those receivers, and that's assuming that they don't sign or trade for someone else before final roster cuts happen at the end of August.

For the top-end of the depth chart, each receiver's clear role is to be a weapon in the passing game. For those players looking to make the team at the back end of the roster, they'll need to do more than that to show that they belong. Supporting in the run game as a blocker is one thing, but for those last players on the roster, showing up and showing out on special teams is a must for inclusion on the 53-man roster.

In today's edition of 91 players in 91 days," we discuss a veteran wideout looking to return to the Bills' roster after a one-year stint with the club in 2023.
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Name:Trent Sherfield

Number:81

Position:WR

Height/Weight:6'1" 205 lbs.

Age:30 (31 on 2/26/2027)

Experience/Draft:9; signed with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2018 NFL Draft

College:Vanderbilt

Acquired:Signed with Buffalo on 3/26/2026

Financial situation (per Spotrac):Sherfield signed a one-year contract at the veteran's minimum, which is $1.3 million for the season. Thanks to the veteran's salary benefit, Sherfield's cap hit if he makes the team is a bit lower at $1.075 million. If he's released prior to wee one, Buffalo will carry no dead cap charge; however, as a vested veteran, Sherfield's $1.3 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster for Buffalo's first game.

2025 Recap:Last spring, Sherfield signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos for a total of $8 million. $1.5 million of that contract was guaranteed. He played in 10 games for Denver, starting three. He caught just three passes for 21 yards on four targets. Heading into Denver's Week Eleven matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, they signed Lil'Jordan Humphrey to the active roster and released Sherfield. He signed with the Cardinals' practice squad on November 19, and he was elevated for two games. He saw one target in those contests. With both teams, he primarily appeared on special teams. After the Cardinals' season ended without a playoff berth, Sherfield was not offered a reserve/futures contract-or chose not to accept an offered deal-and he became a free agent. He signed with the New England Patriots' practice squad on January 13; with the Pats awaiting the winner of a Bills-Broncos Divisional Round game, Sherfield could provide intel on both clubs. He was not elevated for the Patriots' AFC Championship Game victory, and he was released from the practice squad on January 24. He re-signed with New England's practice squad on January 28, but he was not elevated for their loss in the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks.

Positional outlook:Sherfield is one of 14 wideouts on the current roster. Khalil Shakir, DJ Moore, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell, Mac Dalena, Ja'Mori Maclin, Mecole Harman Jr., Stephen Gosnell, Jalen Virgil, Quentin Skinner, Tyrell Shavers, and Max Tomczak are the others.

2026 Offseason:Sherfield is healthy and participating in offseason work as both a receiver and a special teams gunner.

2026 Season outlook:Signing a receiver like Trent Sherfield isn't a move meant to solidify the top end of the receiver room. After all, he's been in the NFL for eight years and his career receiving line (89 catches, 1,034 yards, 6 touchdowns) reads like a single season for a normal WR1 than it does a full career. That's not necessarily a knock on Sherfield, either, as each player brings unique talents to a room, and each part of the positional group has a role to fill. Sherfield's role isn't to replicate what someone like Stefon Diggs meant to Buffalo's receiver room; instead, it's meant to replicate what Tyrell Shavers meant to that same group.

The irony, perhaps, is that 2025 Tyrell Shavers was really playing the role of 2023 Trent Sherfield. That is, he was a wide receiver whose main function came on special teams, and who could see some run and some targets on offense as an auxilliary piece in certain formations. Shavers, to be fair, showed a little more as a receiver and a lot more as a blocker than Sherfield.

If Sherfield is going to stick with Buffalo this season, it's going to be as the sixth wideout in a special teams-heavy role. He'll be facing off against veterans like Mecole Hardman Jr. and Jalen Virgil as his primary competition for that spot. None of those players offers much in the form of receiving ability, and one could actually make the argument that Sherfield is the best actual pass-catcher of that group at this point in their respective careers. Depending on the coaching staff's preference, I imagine that one of those three players will be the last man on the roster.

Sherfield has a shot at the 53-man roster this season, but he'll have to attack his role and show some versatility in order to lock in down.