Keon

Coleman

Coleman scored the first touchdown in the first preseason game at the Bills’ new stadium over the weekend, but showed up to practice in a walking boot on Tuesday. We’ll have more information about the injury when it’s available, but this could be a sign that Coleman is dealing with a significant, long-term injury.

Coleman took the field with the starters on Saturday and also spent some time with the second team offense. Coleman scored the first unofficial touchdown at the new Highmark Stadium. Josh Allen evaded pressure in the backfield to find Coleman in the end zone for a nine-yard score, while backup Kyle Allen connected with Coleman twice. It’s been a challenging year and a half for Coleman, who was a healthy scratch for a few games last season. The Bills remain committed to giving Coleman a chance to succeed. This decent showing in limited preseason action is an encouraging sign.

This could change at any moment, but according to Buscaglia, the Bills’ top four receivers are “clearly” DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. Buscaglia notes that Bell’s separation skills and releases from the line of scrimmage have been good, but that the rookie’s “ball skills have held him back” thus far. The Bills used the 125th overall pick in the draft to select Bell in April. Once thought of as a deep sleeper for the 2026 fantasy season, it sounds like he has some work to do before he can get on the field and make an impact on Sundays.

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.