As the Buffalo Bills took the field for the first drive of their Week 5 game against the Patriots, some fans might have noticed that wide receiver Keon Coleman was not present for that first offensive series. Head coach Sean McDermott discussed why that was the case while speaking to the media the day after Buffalo's first loss of the season.
According to McDermott, Coleman was benched for the first offensive series due to "coach's discipline" from something that happened in practice during the week. McDermott did say that Coleman has shown growth but the Bills want more consistency from him.
Sean McDermott reveals real reason Keon Coleman started on bench
It's been quite the rollercoaster for Coleman ever since he entered the NFL as the Bills' second-round pick in the 2024 draft. He finished his rookie year with pretty underwhelming numbers, tallying just 29 receptions for 556 yards and two touchdowns so Bills fans were hoping to see an improvement from him as he entered a key sophomore season.
Coleman started off strong this season, exploding onto the scene for 112 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against the Ravens. Since then, however, it has been a whole lot of "meh" from the former Florida State product. Coleman has had just 114 yards and one score in the four games since that Week 1 come-from-behind victory so the results have been very, very mixed.
While we don't know what the issue was that led to Coleman's punishment, the fact that McDermott and the coaching staff have to take these matters with the young player should definitely give fans pause. After a lackluster rookie year and a lackluster past month of action for Buffalo, Coleman is starting to look like a bust of a pick for the team.
Hopefully this taught Coleman a lesson for whatever it was that he did and that he can still turn into a good player for the Bills.