Keon

Coleman

Brady said this to Coleman right after he took the Bills’ head coaching job. The former No. 33 overall pick posted a 38-404-4 receiving line last year. He was a healthy scratch multiple times despite the team desperately needing a receiver to step up. Coleman himself acknowledged 2026 as a make-or-break season. While he may get another chance to be in the mix for targets, the team is fully committed to DJ Moore as their WR1 after trading for him and guaranteeing extra money for him down the road. With Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid also locked in for notable roles, there isn’t much meat left on the bone for Coleman. Even if he turns things around, Coleman is unlikely to make much of an impact for fantasy purposes.

The Bills seem committed to the idea that Coleman, who was the subject of trade talks earlier this offseason, can still live up to the potential that made him the 33rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Coleman has struggled to hit the mark thus far in his career, catching 67 passes for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 career games, and was a healthy scratch for parts of last season due to some off-field disciplinary issues. Beane said he believes Coleman’s “best year is yet to come here in 2026.” We’ll see how that plays out, given the recent additions of D.J. Moore and Skyler Bell this offseason.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Coleman is guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup, and as of now he’d probably battle Josh Palmer for starting work next to Khalil Shakir and DJ Moore. The bottom line is that the Bills seem likely to keep him on the roster this year, but we probably shouldn’t count on him as an unlikely post-hype breakout in year three.

Wolfe talked with both Bills GM Brandon Beane and HC Joe Brady, both of whom professed they’d like to keep Coleman and said they think he can have a career year. We’re not exactly calling for a breakout with Coleman here — his stock is clearly down from where it was last year — but if he makes it into the starting lineup with Josh Allen it wouldn’t be completely surprising if he turned it around either. Wolfe believes the Bills would need a Day 2 pick to move on from Coleman, which is a laughable idea after how the past calendar year has gone.

Last week, Bills owner Terry Pegula blamed former head coach Sean McDermott for the second-round pick spent on Coleman in 2024, absolving general manager Brandon Beane along the way. Brady said that he spoke with Coleman after being named the Bills’ new head coach, telling the young wide receiver that he fully supports him. Day 2 picks are rarely traded or released just two years into their career, but Brady’s comments help clarify Coleman’s status on the roster following Pegula’s strong remarks.

Pegula during a press conference Wednesday absolved general manager Brandon Beane of responsibility for the sorry state of the team’s wideout room. Referring to the drafting of Coleman in 2024, Pegula said Beane “has taken, for some reason, heat about it, and I’m here to say a word about it.” Pegula said former head coach Sean McDermott’s wide receivers coaches advocated for taking Coleman, who has been an unmitigated bust over the past two seasons. Pegula added that he fired McDermott — among the league’s most successful coaches over the past decade — based on the Bills’ Divisional Round loss to the Broncos.

The touchdown catch was a nice play where Coleman caught a quick slant, planted his foot, avoided a defender, and then dove to stretch the ball across the end zone. The 22-year-old had a brutal drop in the end zone earlier in the game on a ball that hit him right in the hands. It wouldn’t have been a touchdown anyway due to a holding penalty, but the drop is indicative of the struggles Coleman has had in his second season. The former second-round pick caught 38 of 59 targets during the regular season for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He only played in 13 games and was a healthy inactive in a few, as Coleman dealt with some off-field disciplinary issues. It wouldn’t be out of the question for the Bills to see if another team wanted to take a gamble on Coleman, but his value may be too low for a trade right now.

With the Bills sitting the majority of their starters, Keon Coleman was able to work himself back into a larger role in the passing game. It was also clear that the Bills, or Mitchell Trubisky, were making a concerted effort to give Coleman some key targets in the hopes of getting him into a bit of rhythm before the postseason. This year has certainly not gone the way Coleman and the Bills wanted, but he can go a long way towards redeeming himself with a strong postseason.

Kincaid was listed as questionable with a knee injury, and he will not be able to play, which is a significant blow to the Bills’ offense. It’s also a big blow to Kincaid’s future status in Buffalo. Early on this season, he looked to be headed towards a breakout season, but this is now the second year in a row he’s been hard to rely on because of injuries. That may cause Buffalo not to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason. Dawson Knox (knee) will be active and could take on a big role in a rain-soaked game, and Gabe Davis will be active, with Keon Coleman a healthy inactive yet again.

Coleman didn’t record an official target in Week 15 against the Patriots and has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season. Coleman has caught 36 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns this season, but has caught just four passes in his last three games played.