Bills WR Keon Coleman Entering ‘Make-Or-Break’ Season

The Bills spent the 33rd pick of the 2024 draft on wide receiver Keon Coleman, but the investment has not gone according to plan. Coleman’s professionalism was an issue last year, in which head coach Sean McDermott scratched him four times.

McDermott benched Coleman despite a lack of strong options at receiver beyond slot target Khalil Shakir. The Bills added former Charger Josh Palmer on a three-year contract in March 2025, but he caught just 22 passes and went without a touchdown in a 12-game, injury-limited campaign. Despite Coleman’s own handful of absences, he finished second among Bills wideouts in catches (38), targets (59) and yards (404). The Florida State product also tied Shakir for first in touchdowns (four).

In acquiring D.J. Moore from the Bears for a second-round pick and drafting Skyler Bell in the fourth round, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has beefed up the team’s receiving corps this offseason. Those additions could have made Coleman a trade candidate, but Beane insisted in late April that he is not giving up on the soon-to-be 24-year-old. Beane said the Bills have “hit the reset button with [Coleman],” who will have an opportunity under the second head coach of his career after the Bills fired McDermott. Replacement Joe Brady, who was Buffalo’s offensive coordinator in Coleman’s first two years, gave the receiver a public vote of confidence back in January.

“I told Keon when I got hired, the best thing that happened to Keon Coleman was me being his head coach,” Brady declared. “I was one of the ones that stood on the table for Keon Coleman, and I believe in Keon Coleman.”

Brady’s remarks came just days after owner Terry Pegula attributed the Coleman pick to McDermott and his coaching staff. Pegula claimed Beane was “being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff who felt strongly about the player.” Beane refuted that, stating he would not have chosen Coleman unless he had full belief in the player. Regardless, four months since Pegula’s comments, Coleman realizes he is entering a crucial season.

“For me, it’s make or break,” Coleman said Tuesday (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN), acknowledging he “might not be here” if he fails to take a step forward.

Halfway into his rookie contract, Coleman has hauled in 67 catches for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 games. He will look to improve his output in 2026, but it could be a challenge in a more crowded receiving corps. Moore and Shakir are clearly the Bills’ top options at receiver, which will leave Coleman, Palmer and Bell to vie for targets behind them.