The NFL preseason kicked off last week with the annual Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. The Bears took the lead in the third quarter before the game was suspended due to inclement weather. The Bears ended up “winning” 21-17. What a way to start the season.
The Buffalo Bills are officially in “game week” this coming weekend as they will host the Bears on Saturday, August 10th in Orchard Park. We are going to be getting updates as to which players Sean McDermott will have suit up and who will be in regular clothes. Going into the first preseason game of last year, McDermott opted to not have notable starters suit up against the Indianapolis Colts. Maybe we will see the same script going into this weekend.
However, one notable high-profile player that should be seeing reps in the preseason no matter what is rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman. The rising fan-favorite in Buffalo has won over the hearts of Bills fans with her personality and love for cookies. He brings an energy where there are more laughs than there have ever been. Coleman was selected out of Florida State in the second round of the NFL Draft in which he is expected to become a big-time player at some point in his career with the Bills. However, those expectations should not be on anyone’s radar in 2024.
At the end of the day, Coleman is a rookie who has some growing to do. While he can go up for the contested catches, he needs to work on his separation from defenders. The reps he gets in preseason is going to be crucial for his development and it could easily show Bills Mafia what he can bring to the team in games that will actually count.
Ryan Fowler from Bleacher Report published a list of eight rookies who “have the most to lose in the 2024 preseason” and Coleman made it onto the list, yet it could not be further from the truth.
"Enter No. 33 overall pick Keon Coleman, who'll be asked to fill the shoes of Davis and Diggs. Coleman's 6'4" frame, explosiveness and ability to play above the rim should help him become Allen's favorite perimeter weapon before long.Ryan Fowler, Bleacher Report
For the Bills to reach their performance ceiling, Coleman will almost have to."
It is a fair statement to say that Coleman will be expected to help keep consistency in the receiving game and pick up some of the production that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis had. However, with the way the Bills’ offense has panned out this offseason, Bills fans should be expecting to see multiple players get involved in the offense rather than making one guy the go-to target. When Joe Brady took over as the interim offensive coordinator, we saw an offense where the ball was getting spread out to everyone in the office, not just one player.
Coleman should just be focusing on getting reps and getting in-game experience. He should not be pressured to fill in the shoes of two receivers who helped create great memories in Buffalo right off the bat.