After getting drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations were high for former Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman to become the Bills’ WR1 for quarterback Josh Allen. Unfortunately, nine games into his second season, the young wideout is just not affecting the field as many in Buffalo’s front office would have thought.
After another underwhelming outing during the Bills’ embarrassing 30-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 10, head coach Sean McDermott and the Bills have reportedly decided to bench Coleman for the second time this season.
What Happened to Buffalo Bills WR Keon Coleman?
After some rumors of the move throughout the week, an NFL insider reported the truth behind Coleman’s status for the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz shared the news on X, saying, “Sources: #Bills WR Keon Coleman will not play today vs. Tampa Bay in what was described to me as a coach’s decision (as @Cover1 also said). I’m told it’s not performance-based — Coleman actually had a strong week of practice — but the team wants to see more from him in other areas. Mecole Hardman and Gabe Davis are expected to be up as a result.”
Sources: #Bills WR Keon Coleman will not play today vs Tampa Bay in what was described to me as a coach’s decision (as @Cover1 also said).
I’m told it’s not performance-based — Coleman actually had a strong week of practice — but the team wants to see more from him in other… pic.twitter.com/AuwIUF8Jho
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 16, 2025
National insider for NFL Network, Ian Rapoport, shared more details on the reasoning for Coleman’s scratch on Sunday, explaining, “The plan all week was for Coleman to play, but that changed when he was late to meetings on Friday morning. That led to him being inactive.”
#Bills WR Keon Coleman will be a healthy scratch today vs the #Bucs, sources say. A surprise.
The plan all week was for Coleman to play, but that changed when he was late to meetings on Friday morning. That led to him being inactive. pic.twitter.com/k6MSQPlTLs
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 16, 2025
It’s worth noting this is not the first time Coleman has been benched by the Bills this season. McDermott sat the second-year wideout for the first series of Buffalo’s Week 5 Thursday Night Football matchup against the New England Patriots for disciplinary reasons.
While his rookie campaign was modest, catching 29 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns, he’s failed to build upon that, catching 32 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns. According to PFSN’s WR Impact metric, Coleman is the 54th-ranked receiver in the league this season.
While he was able to find his way into the end zone in Week 10 for the first time since the Week 5 loss to the Patriots, Coleman only hauled in three of his eight targets.
Furthermore, he’s caught more than three passes in a game just twice this season. While expectations for the young receiver heading into the 2025 season were high, he has failed to show Buffalo he’s capable of taking that next step, likely factoring into his benching this week.
