Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman played a pivotal role in a 41-40 victory over the Ravens in Week 1. Coleman began his second NFL season with eight receptions, 112 yards, and a touchdown to help spark a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback. A 2025 breakout looked like a possibility at that point, but Coleman’s impact has been minimal since then.
Heading into Week 17, Coleman has underwhelmed with 36 catches, 355 yards, and four TDs in 12 games. Despite owning one of the league’s least effective receiving groups, and despite using a second-round pick on Coleman in 2024, the Bills have made him a healthy scratch multiple times.
Head coach Sean McDermott first benched Coleman ahead of a Week 11 win over the Buccaneers. He was inactive again the next week. McDermott punished Coleman after he was late to a team meeting, which wasn’t the first time Coleman had an issue with punctuality.
“It’s a professionalism thing — but he’s going to be OK. We need him,” a team source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN at the time.
The Bills didn’t consider releasing Coleman at that point, according to Fowler, but the 22-year-old hasn’t regained a guaranteed spot since then. After appearing in three straight games and combining for four grabs, 25 yards, and a TD, Coleman sat out a 23-20 win over the Browns last Sunday. McDermott confirmed he was a healthy scratch (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic).
With McDermott scratching both Coleman and Gabe Davis, the Bills rolled with Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers, and Mecole Hardman as their receivers in Cleveland. Shakir led the unit with a paltry 34 yards on four catches. Palmer, Cooks, Shavers, and Hardman combined for 23 yards on two receptions. Cooks and Hardman each went without a catch.
“Just a combination of receivers, offensively, that we wanted up,” McDermott said of his receiver choices in Week 16 (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN). “And then obviously, Mecole was moved into the 5 spot there for primarily special teams purposes, but also a little bit of receiver as well.”
The Bills are 11-4 and on the way to the playoffs for the seventh straight year, but their receiving corps’ lack of production has been a problem throughout 2025. Shakir, a solid slot target, has been the only consistent option. The dearth of quality receivers hasn’t helped reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen‘s cause, though he and league-leading rusher James Cook have still lifted Buffalo’s offense to a No. 4 ranking this year.
Along with Coleman not developing as hoped, the free agent addition of Palmer has been a swing and a miss. The former Charger, now in the first season of a three-year, $36MM contract, has hauled in 20 passes for 290 yards and no TDs in 10 games. Cooks, Curtis Samuel (currently injured), and Elijah Moore (now on Denver’s practice squad) join Palmer as veteran receivers who have recently come up short after choosing Buffalo in free agency.
With Palmer injured at the time, general manager Brandon Beane was in the market for a receiver addition in advance of the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Beane reportedly made a significant offer to the division rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle, but he came up empty. While Beane reeled in Cooks in late November after the Saints released him, the 32-year-old hasn’t provided a boost to the offense. Despite an impressive resume that includes 730 receptions, Cooks has caught just one of five targets in four games with the Bills.
Regardless of how the rest of the campaign plays out, Beane will likely focus a good deal of offseason attention on the receiver position. It’s a “distinct possibility” that Shakir will be the only current Bills receiver who has a major role next year, Buscaglia contends. If Buffalo doesn’t trade or release Coleman in the offseason, he may wind up as a low-end option on the depth chart for the second straight year. That wasn’t what Buffalo had in mind when it used a high selection on Coleman just a few weeks after trading away former No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs.
What a shame, all the tools to be an impact player on a team that could certainly use an alpha WR. Kid has an opportunity of a lifetime and letting it slip away.
in the nicest way i can say this. they need to cut ties go separate ways it will be best for both parties.
Im done with him.
No biggie. The Bills lead the league in rushing which is a good approach this time of year in those northern cities where foul weather can wreck passing attacks.
Meanwhile Jakobi Meyers is crushing it w/ the Jags.
Another reason why many Bills fans want him gone after this season. So many missed opportunities and bad WR drafts.