It’s hard not to see the writing on the wall for Keon Coleman in Buffalo. Terry Pegula threw him under the bus during a postseason press conference, and his sophomore season featured him being a healthy scratch in multiple games.
Going into Year 3, the expectations couldn’t be lower for Coleman. 2025 was supposed to be the season where he developed into a quality starter for Buffalo. Instead, he saw his yardage decrease and played fewer snaps in Year 2 than he did as a rookie.
Despite the Bills having massive wide receiver problems over the last few years, time appears to be running out on the former second round pick.
Keon Coleman is running out of chances
The Bills have stated that Coleman will have a clean slate going into the 2026 offseason, and he certainly needs it. The last two seasons have been a huge disappointment, and his lack of development is one of the big reasons why Buffalo hasn’t been able to get over the hump. But could this be the year where things finally click?
In an article recently written by Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus, he named 10 players who have the most at stake going into the 2026 season. That list included multiple receivers from the 2024 draft, including Coleman. Here is a snippet of what Locker had to say about the former Florida State star going into a critical season:
“Because of Coleman’s poor development, the Bills traded for receiver D.J. Moore this offseason and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round. Simply put, if Coleman doesn’t at least present glimpses of the physical presence we saw at Florida State, he may swiftly run out of opportunities in Joe Brady’s rotation.”
Locker mentioned that Coleman’s separation grade among all receivers in 2025 ranked in the 0th percentile. No receiver created less separation per route run than Coleman and that was a big concern for him going into the pre-draft process. Receivers who don’t create consistent separation can be incredibly difficult to get the ball to on a reliable basis.
It also doesn’t help that Coleman’s 11.9% drop rate in 2025 was in the 7th percentile among all receivers last season. Receivers who don’t get open and drop the football don’t have a spot in the NFL. And that’s where we are currently at with Coleman going into a pivotal Year 3.
With the addition of D.J. Moore and Skyler Bell, on top of Khalil Shakir and Josh Palmer returning to the roster, there might not be a spot available for Coleman. Especially if Joe Brady wants to continue running more 12 and 13-personnel. Coleman is going to need a huge offseason to justify a spot on the 53-man roster because nothing about his play from last season suggests that he is ready to take a step forward.
Given how little the NFL currently thinks of Coleman, this might be his last shot to prove that he is worthy of being on a roster. He desperately needs a strong training camp and preseason to show he is still worth developing. If he has another so-so training camp, don't be surprised if the Bills wash their hands of the situation and move on.
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