There was a moment during the 2024 season where Keon Coleman was the Buffalo Bills‘ No. 1 wide receiver.
That feels like a long time ago. But the second-year Buffalo wideout is reportedly aware that he needs to be more consistent after a tough rookie campaign.
Coleman offered an honest take about his frustrating 29-catch, 556-yard opening season when he was asked about it recently at Bills minicamp.
Coleman’s first season was a roller coaster that started up, with three touchdowns and five games of at least 49 receiving yards over his first nine NFL games. But Coleman was just as likely to put up a single-catch performance, since he had eight games with only one reception, including each of the Bills’ three playoff games.
Coleman’s struggles forced Buffalo to go out and get Amari Cooper via trade from the Cleveland Browns midseason. Cooper is gone, and Buffalo will want more from Coleman in Year 2.
What Did Keon Coleman Say About His Rookie Season?
Coleman pulled no punches when assessing his first NFL season.
“You want to know exactly what I see [when watching film]? I see trash,” he said. “[I] got to be better, simple as that.”
Coleman detailed the things he sees on film, and the notes he is getting from his offensive coaches of ways that he can do better.
“Gotta get more efficient, get out of this break. Got to stack your [opposing defensive back],” Coleman said. “You’ve got to give [quarterback] Josh [Allen] more room to throw the ball. You’ve got to catch that.”
Coleman may see the things he is doing wrong on film, but he has not resorted to frustration with himself yet.
“I don’t get frustrated,” Coleman said. “I come here every day to work. This is a job, but to me I look at it more like a hobby and a profession. It’s something I love to do.”
But Coleman told reporters he has been working on his speed, improving on his 4.61 40-yard dash from the 2024 NFL Combine and trying to bulk up.
“Putting mass back on,” Coleman said when asked what he worked on this off-season, “Getting back swole, so I can play physical and stuff like that.”
What Does Keon Coleman Think Of The Bills’ Revamped Wide Receivers?
The Bills wideout room has changed a lot in two years.
Buffalo had an embarrassment of receiving riches when it featured Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. It regressed somewhat in 2024 but still had Cooper and Khalil Shakir as its top-two receivers.
But the Bills overhauled their receiving corps this off-season. They brought in Josh Palmer from the Los Angeles Chargers and Elijah Moore from the Cleveland and nomadic veteran Laviska Shenault Jr.
Add those guys to Shakir and Coleman, and Buffalo has a lower-profile of skilled wideouts, but they are no less skilled.
“We’ve got two great rout runners in [Moore] and [Palmer],” Coleman said. “You got [Shenault] … he does a lot of great things with his game. Plus, we still got [Shakir] in that room, so we got a lot of depth in that room.
“Everybody could play every spot and make the plays.”
