Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman is starting to wear thin on his teammates.
For the third time this season, wide receiver Keon Coleman was benched by the Buffalo Bills for tardiness. The worst part? All three infractions came within less than a month.
The Bills did not need him during their 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but with Buffalo's wide receiver room in delicate shape as it is, Coleman will need to make his mark at some point.
His act is definitely wearing thin on his teammates, and after the game Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins took Coleman to task.
“Now he’s in the hot seat, and he needs to come on and show up for us," Dawkins said, via Tim Graham of The Athletic. "Pats on the back are over with, and it’s time for him to grow up, and he knows it.”
To be fair, Coleman took accountability afterward.
“I knew that (right away)," Coleman said on why he didn't play in Week 11. "[Expletive], you can’t keep making those types of mistakes in your profession.”
Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.Buffalo selected Coleman with the 33rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. He logged 29 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns during his rookie campaign, demonstrating his explosiveness by averaging a hefty 19.2 yards per reception.
However, the 22-year-old has showed almost no progress this season. In fact, in terms of explosive plays, he has gone backward, having totaled 32 grabs for 330 yards and three scores. That's just 10.3 yards per catch.
But not only is Coleman consistently showing up late, but head coach Sean McDermott even questioned his effort during the Bills' disastrous Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
“I believe he will learn from it,” McDermott said. “He takes it seriously, and he will move forward in a way of growing from this. That’s the whole goal.”
The Bills better hope so, because they were certainly counting on Coleman to be a much more impactful player heading into 2025. That hasn't really happened.
Buffalo received contributions from some unlikely sources on Sunday, such as wide receiver Tyrell Shavers, who snared four balls for 90 yards and a touchdown. Gabe Davis also secured three receptions for 40 yards after being elevated from the practice squad.
But there is no question that questions continue to surround the mercurial Coleman during his sophomore campaign.