Much like was the case when he was a member of the LA Chargers, wide receiver Joshua Palmer became the talk of Buffalo Bills training camp this summer. On an offense with no true No. 1 wide receiver, the door was wide open for Palmer to finally live up to the expectations that have followed him for years.
However, halfway through his first season in Buffalo, Palmer is proving what he proved in Los Angeles: that he's a much better practice player than in-game player. That's not to say Palmer is a bad wideout, but he is the prime example of someone who never reaches that proverbial ceiling that he flashes in practice.
The Bills signed Palmer to a three-year deal and have already learned this lesson — just look at the trade rumors around the team. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler named the Bills as one of three teams interested in wide receiver help ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Buffalo being in the wide receiver trade market is a direct result of Palmer not quite living up to lofty expectations.
It took the Bills two months to learn what the Chargers already knew about Joshua Palmer
Again, this isn't to say Palmer is a bad football player. He still provides value in an offensive system and will have a big moment or two for the Bills at some point this season. Palmer just isn't the grandiose version of himself that shows up at practice.
If Palmer emerged like the true No. 1 receiver he was being touted as in camp then this wouldn't even be in the conversation. Instead, the 2021 third-round pick has caught just 14 passes for 234 yards without a single touchdown this season. He had five catches in Week 1 and hasn't finished a game with more than two since.
To make matters worse, Palmer (knee/ankle) isn't practicing leading into the Bills' Week 9 showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. Palmer didn't play this last week against the Carolina Panthers, either, and the Bills' offense didn't seem to miss a beat.
Chargers fans know this feeling all too well. The preseason hype that makes us all believe Palmer is going to make the leap to WR1. Then the fantasy buzz follows, every analyst and pundit names him as their sleeper pick even though it's not really a sleeper if everyone is saying it.
Then reality sinks in. Palmer doesn't produce at the level the team, or the fans, were expecting. Then he gets hurt. Palmer hasn't played 80% of his team's offense snaps since 2022. The percentage has only gone down as the years have gone on.
Do the Bills regret signing Palmer? Perhaps. The three-year, $29 million commitment was a sizeable one, especially when you consider his cap hit in 2026 is $11.85 million with no real outs. Should Bills fans be surprised, though?
If you ask Chargers fans... not at all.