The Buffalo Bills are set to scratch their top pick from 2024 against Tampa Bay.
UPDATE: Keon Coleman is officially a healthy scratch, confirming Cover 1's original report. Just before it was made official, reports surfaced that Coleman missed a team meeting on Friday, leading to the decision to make him a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.
ORIGINAL: Keon Coleman is being sent a message by head coach Sean McDermott. Cover 1 out of Buffalo is reporting that the Bills are set to the bench second-year wide receiver.
"According to a source, WR Keon Coleman will be a healthy scratch against the Bucs," the outlet said. "A big shakeup in the Bills WR rotation."
The news, while not official from the team just yet, comes following the announcement that Buffalo had signed Mecole Hardman to the 53-man roster just days after signing him to the practice squad. In addition to Hardman, Gabe Davis was also elevated from the practice squad and is expected to suit up for the Bills for the first time since 2023.
Coleman, who was the 33rd overall pick last year, is tied for second on the team in receiving touchdowns with three. Through nine games, however, he has just 32 catches for 330 yards, averaging 10.3 yards per catch.
Why Would The Bills Bench Keon Coleman?
Talk of whether Coleman should be benched has picked up over the last couple of weeks. It seemed to reach a boiling point when Coleman was seen walking on a play last against Miami where Josh Allen was scrambling around to find an open receiver. McDermott was asked after the game about if he was satisfied with the 22-year-old's performance.
"He knows if I'm not satisfied," McDermott said. "It's fair that you're asking about. I can promise you it gets addressed when it isn't where it needs to be.
"There are times, like any player or any performer, where it's exactly where it needs to be and there are times where it's not. And we have to address to get it, hopefully, where it needs to be. It's addressed. It's been good at times and other times it can improve."
Whether this is a long-term benching or simply a wake-up call for the young receiver remains to be seen. Either way, it looks like he'll find himself without a uniform when the team hits the field Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.