The Buffalo Bills drafted Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to fill the void left by Stefon Diggs’ trade to the Houston Texans and Gabe Davis’ departure in free agency. However, two seasons later, Coleman has 67 catches for 960 yards and eight touchdowns across 26 games, and his tenure with the Bills has been defined more by healthy scratches and tardiness issues than highlight-reel plays.
As the Bills prepare for their first season under head coach Joe Brady, Coleman isn’t hiding from the noise and offered a strong response to his critics.
Keon Coleman’s Rocky Path From College Standout to NFL Crossroads
Coleman arrived in the NFL with a productive college resume. After two seasons at Michigan State, where he totaled 65 catches for 848 yards and eight touchdowns, he transferred to Florida State and earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2023 with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games.
Coleman’s college career totals of 115 receptions, 1,506 yards, and 19 touchdowns painted the picture of him becoming a legitimate weapon in the NFL. Unfortunately, the transition to the professional level hasn’t matched that trajectory.
In his rookie season, the Bills wideout recorded just 29 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns, and tardiness issues led to benchings under then-head coach Sean McDermott.
His second season started with promise when he hauled in eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens, but he never eclipsed 50 receiving yards in any game after that.
BUILD YOUR OWN TOP 100: PFN’s FREE NFL Top 100 Builder
Coleman finished the 2025 NFL season with just 38 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns, and was made inactive for four games due to a combination of disciplinary decisions and roster management.
According to PFN’s WR Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 73.1 in 2024, ranking 52nd in the league. In 2025, he ranked 58th in the league, with an impact score of 70.7.
The criticism reached a new level when Bills owner Terry Pegula publicly stated at a January press conference that the previous coaching staff, not general manager Brandon Beane, had pushed to draft Coleman.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Apart from the Bills’ ownership, many former players and fans on social media have repeatedly criticized Coleman due to his poor performance.
“None of them going to come lace them up and try to stand in front of me,” Coleman said about his critics. “People are going to say what they want to say. At the end of the day, my job is to come out here, put my cleats on, strap them up and prove my worth here.”
“It’s time to put it all together,” Coleman said. “[Outside comments] I don’t really care to hear them. It’s time for me to just put it out there on the field.”
With Brady now at the helm, the Bills’ offense could look notably different in 2026. The team leaned heavily on the ground game under McDermott, but early indications suggest Brady may open things up through the air, giving Allen and his receivers more freedom to attack downfield.
Buffalo also added DJ Moore via trade and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round, creating a more competitive receiver room that could either push Coleman to elevate or further limit his opportunities. It remains to be seen how the 23-year-old wideout performs in what can be considered a make-or-break season for him with the Bills.
