It’s that time of the year again, folks!
The Buffalo Bills are set to play their first regular season game of the 2026 NFL season on September 13. Over the course of the next 100 days or so, we will introduce every player on the team’s roster. Some of those players are household names by now. Some of those players may become household names in the future. And, some of those names may come in handy one day as the answer to our “Bills Player in Five” challenge.
Whether we’re talking about future stars
or future answers to trivia questions, each player in the series holds value. Each player has a chance at living his NFL dream. And, better yet, each player has the chance to propel the Bills to their ultimate goal: a Super Bowl victory.
Why are we calling it “91 players in 91 days”? Well, because this year, it’s more accurate. Thanks to offensive lineman Travis Clayton and his status as an International Player Pathway (IPP) player, the Bills hold an exemption for one extra roster spot. So, instead of discussing 90 players, we have the added bonus of a 91st participant before accounting for midsummer signings.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” number one of at least ninety-one entries in the series, we discuss an embattled player at an important position. Can this former top draft choice finally make the most of his natural ability in his third season?
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Name: Keon Coleman
Number: 0
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6’3” 213 lbs.
Age: 23 (24 on 5/17/2027)
Experience/Draft: 3; selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Florida State
Acquired: Second-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Coleman enters the third year of his four-year rookie contract, a pact worth $10,074,258 in total. For the 2026 season, Coleman carries a cap hit of $2,747,525 with a dead cap number of $5,519,218 if he’s released or traded.
2025 Recap: After a promising but inconsistent rookie season, Coleman’s sophomore year with Buffalo could be classified as a disaster. It didn’t start out that way, as he caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s wild 41-40 comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week One. From that point on, though, tardiness to meetings and generalized behind-the-scenes immaturity led to a reduction in playing time, and his continued inability to create separation on his routes kept him from doing much. Coleman was a healthy inactive four times during the season, and after that big first game, he mustered just 30 catches for 292 yards and three scores over the remainder of the season combined. All together, Coleman totaled 38 receptions on 59 targets for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He lost playing time to former undrafted rookie Tyrell Shavers, who usurped Coleman as the blocking receiver on the outside while also proving his mettle as a deep threat. After multiple injuries to other players, including Shavers, Coleman found more consistent playing time in the playoffs, but he didn’t manage better results statistically. He caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown on four targets in the postseason.
Positional outlook: Coleman is one of thirteen wideouts on the current roster. DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Jalen Virgil, Mecole Hardman Jr., Stephen Gosnell, Ja’Mori Maclin, Skyler Bell, Max Tomczak, Gabriel Benyard, Trent Sherfield, and Tyrell Shavers are the others.
2026 Offseason: Speculation about Coleman’s future has been the norm this offseason. Bills’ owner Terry Pegula didn’t help matters during a clumsy press conference in the wake of former head coach Sean McDermott’s firing when he called Coleman the coaching staff’s draft pick, not general manager Brandon Beane’s. Former Buffalo wideout Stevie Johnson has worked with Coleman on route running this offseason. Beane has said that the team “hit the reset button” on Coleman, as well, noting that they rejected trade offers for him earlier this spring.
2026 Season outlook: Look, the Bills can say all the right things about Coleman after the public relations disaster that was Pegula’s bungled press conference comments, but expecting much of anything out of Coleman this season isn’t something I’m willing to do. Buffalo returns Khalil Shakir, and they added a legit option in DJ Moore. They also drafted speedy Skyler Bell in the fourth round. Joshua Palmer is another veteran option, and he’s likely the person Coleman is battling with to see time on the field this season. I don’t think the Bills are going to cut bait on Coleman right now, but I also don’t think he’s going to morph into 1998 Eric Moulds in his third season, either.
At best, Coleman is likely looking at a role as an auxiliary piece this year, rotating in on certain personnel groupings and in certain packages. However, the days of hoping that he turns into at least a solid No. 2 option are gone, in my opinion. That’s not to say that it can’t happen or it won’t happen, but for me, it’s no longer the expectation that it will happen. Instead, it would be more a nice bonus or surprise if Coleman could turn in a solid 45/600/5 season this year. Are those modest numbers? Absolutely. Would they all be career highs for Coleman if he were to achieve them? Yes.
If we assume that Shakir and Moore will lead Buffalo’s wideouts in snaps and targets, that means that Coleman is likely battling Palmer and Bell for the targets that remain. We also haven’t even factored in the tight end group, which returns Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and Jackson Hawes, or a potent pass-catching running back group that consists of James Cook III, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson.
Coleman, to his credit, seems to have a great attitude moving forward. He referred to his 2025 performance as “ass” when asked at OTAs and didn’t shy away from noting he has to be better. Talk may be cheap, but if a guy is going to say something, I’d rather he say the right things. Coleman knows that he needs to perform, and he isn’t concerned about outside perceptions. Self-motivation is the best motivation, and he seems to understand that he is better than he’s shown himself to be so far.
There are still a lot of mouths to feed in the Buffalo passing game, and while Coleman is likely to be one of them, he’s no longer someone the team necessarily needs to rely on for production. The Bills have enough options where they can give him some time to prove he’s taken a step forward, and if he’s still the same guy he was for the last two seasons, they can play other receivers in his place. This is a pivotal year in Coleman’s career, and while the results may not make or break him over the course of his NFL career, it very well could be a make-or-break year for him in Buffalo.
