Veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who played the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before signing with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, isn’t making a very strong impression at Bills training camp, according to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia on July 29.
“To begin training camp, the Bills appeared to have a pretty well-defined top five of the wide receiver group. That included Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins,” Buscaglia wrote. “But as camp has gone on, there are clear signs that the top five may only be four, with Valdes-Scantling needing to battle his way back into it. Valdes-Scantling has faded into the background in the last few practices. He has yet to make a strong impression in the passing game during team drills, and his opportunities with quarterback Josh Allen and the top unit have dwindled.
“It was to the point that when the Bills split their roster in half for one session of team drills, leading the first-team offense to take on the first-team defense on the main field, with a few subs for each side of the ball, Valdes-Scantling was over on the other field with the second and third units,” he wrote. “It was even more noticeable due to Chase Claypool missing practice with a toe injury.”
Buscaglia went on to say it is “clear” that Valdes-Scantling has not been one of Buffalo’s five best receivers during training camp and that MVS has been outplayed by Tyrell Shavers — a second year-wideout who went undrafted in 2023 — as well as Claypool.
Valdes-Scantling signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with Buffalo on May 14.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling Didn’t Live Up to Contract in KC
In March 2022, Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Chiefs, his first big NFL payday.
Valdes-Scantling’s best game in a Chiefs uniform was against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 AFC championship game, when he registered 6 catches on 8 targets for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. Outside of that game, he had only one other 100-yard game while in Kansas City.
During his two seasons with the Chiefs, Valdes-Scantling recorded 63 receptions, 1,002 yards and 3 touchdowns in 33 regular season games. In seven playoff games, he registered 15 catches, 250 yards and 3 touchdowns.
As a player who did not live up to his contract during his first two seasons in Kansas City, MVS was released by the Chiefs on February 28. The move was a salary cap maneuver, with the Chiefs saving $12 million against the cap.
X Reacts to News of Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s Camp Struggles
Users on X reacted to the news of Valdes-Scantling struggling during Bills training camp.
“He’s technically ‘fast’ but not quick so it takes too long for him to get going,” one user wrote. “Add in that he’s a terrible route runner and has brick hands so this tracks. If he was in yr 1-2 you might think you can develop him, but if he didn’t get better with A-Aron [Aaron Rodgers] & #15 [Patrick Mahomes] then he’s washed.”
“Shakir, Samuel, Coleman I get as locks. Is MVS losing out to Claypool, Mack Hollins and KJ Hamler? Like the back half of that WR room is not good. Wow,” another user wrote.
“That’s not that surprising. He’s kind of a one trick pony and doesn’t have the best hands or ball tracking skills,” another user wrote.
