Will Bills' wide receiver improve after 'up and down' first year?

After some strong words from his head coach, the expectations for Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Keon Coleman have been raised in the wake of a shaky first season in the NFL.

While Bills head coach Sean McDermott was speaking to the media at the NFL Combine, he challenged his rookie receiver to get past his "rocky" first year and return to Buffalo stronger.

"We're looking for him to learn from those moments of adversity, and come back and have a really strong offseason, and get himself going into the start of Season 2 here," said McDermott.

The 2024 second-round pick didn't make the most significant first impression, as he only produced one 100-yard game during the season. Coleman finished with 29 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. An injury against the Miami Dolphins in November cost him four games during the regular season.

Now more than ever, the Bills need Coleman to step up as the team made a significant investment in Khalil Shakir, as the team gave him a four-year contract extension for over $60 million. The move signals the team is looking at Shakir to be the top dog. Where does that leave Coleman?

Entering his second year in the NFL, Coleman will be looked at as the potential second option with Dalton Kincaid also in the running for that spot. With Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins not guaranteed to return, Coleman may need to step up into a larger role in 2025.

Coleman was selected to be a red zone threat on the outside that Josh Allen could throw it up to. That will have to be the case more than ever, with Cooper and Hollins' futures in Buffalo uncertain.

The good news is that the Bills' last wide receiver drafted was Shakir, who ended up being a good pick. Shakir has improved his stats year after year, with more targets coming his way. The same could be said with Coleman, thanks to the coaching staff developing strong talent through the draft.

There is real potential that the Bills could target another wide receiver in this year's NFL Draft, with their salary cap situation not being the strongest. The Bills are at $-10 million in cap space, leaving the team in a situation where Shakir and Coleman have to be the top targets.

Coleman has shown potential as 22 of his 29 receptions went for first downs as he proved to be able to put the Bills in good positions multiple times. 2025 will be about him making the most of his increased targets and being the deep ball threat receiver Buffalo needs.