Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman showed flashes of star potential in his rookie season, but a late injury kept him sidelined for a long stretch and he struggled to regain his form after returning.
Now, Coleman could be facing mounting pressure to prove himself in his second NFL season. Bills head coach Sean McDermott already put Coleman on notice, and an insider now believes he will need to show meaningful improvement in 2025.
Keon Coleman Struggled With Separation in Rookie Season
Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted that the Bills knew they weren’t getting a speedster when they drafted Coleman with the first pick of the second round last season. But Coleman’s struggles to get separation may have been more than the team anticipated, he added.
“Every scouting report on Coleman coming out of Florida State made mention of his struggles to separate,” Skuski wrote in a mailbag published on April 12. “According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Coleman had an average separation of just 2.0 yards. That was tied for the worst in the league.”
Skurski warned that Coleman will need to overcome his speed challenges and find a way to get open more often next season.
“Can Coleman get more separation? It will come down to how he runs his routes,” Skurski wrote. “He’s not a burner, so he will need to be crafty to get open, not simply rely on speed.”
Coleman managed to make a meaningful impact with the Bills last season, making 29 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns, but Skurski warned that he will face pressure to improve in 2025.
“It’s way too soon to know whether the Bills whiffed on the pick, but there is no question they need Coleman to take a big step forward in his career this season,” Skurski wrote. “He is very close to the top of the list of players with something to prove.
Sean McDermott Called Out Keon Coleman’s ‘Rocky’ Season
Speaking to reporters after the team’s season came to an end in the AFC Championship game, McDermott made it clear that the team was a bit disappointed with Coleman’s performance in his rookie year. McDermott said the wide receiver never seemed to regain his momentum after suffering a hand injury and missing the next five games.
“I thought he got off to a start that he built momentum through, and then he got injured, and then from there on, it was rather rocky,” McDermott said.
Like Skurski, McDermott said the wide receiver would need to show more in 2025, but was confident he could rise to the occasion.
“We’re looking for him to learn from those moments of adversity, and come back and have a really, really, really strong offseason and get himself going into the start of season two,” McDermott said. “And that takes a certain type of person with a certain drive and determination and fire in their heart, and it’s going to be Keon’s turn to show that he has that this offseason.”
