The Buffalo Bills have done nothing and said nothing since Joe Brady was hired to suggest they want or plan to trade polarizing wide receiver Keon Coleman, but that hasn’t stopped the third-year receiver from being discussed as a trade possibility.
TurfShowTimes, our Los Angeles Rams site, recently featured Coleman in its “trade targets” series, and posed the question “Coleman has yet to break out in Buffalo, but could he change that in Hollywood?”
The piece itself is a fine breakdown of Coleman’s
first two seasons in Buffalo along with everything that transpired in the media regarding the young wideout immediately after the Bills’ season ended. It finished with the following conclusion.
“Los Angeles would truly give Coleman a chance to hit the reset button, as he would not be faced with pressure to be “the guy” right away. He would play behind Nacua and Adams and have a chance at more playing time because of the Rams’ lack of a third receiver. Coleman also appears better-suited as a role player, like a WR2 or WR3, instead of an offense’s top target, which is perfectly fine, given how many players have made careers doing exactly that.
There is zero guarantee that Coleman would break out with the Rams, yet he would be in a place more willing to be patient as he develops. He’s playing on borrowed time in Buffalo, so the team will trade him sooner rather than later if the right offer is sent their way. L.A. should give Coleman a shot if no one stands out at the WR3 spot this summer.“
While this is a hypothetical and nothing more at this stage, let’s try to determine what Coleman could realistically get the Bills in a trade.
To do that, I’ve grabbed recent first and second-round receivers who were traded before or during their third NFL seasons and have listed what they returned to their original teams in the swap.
First-round picks
Jahan Dotson (Commanders —> Eagles, 2024): Round 3 + two Round 7 picks… Commanders also traded a Round 5 pick in the deal
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (Ravens —> Cardinals, 2022): Round 1 pick… Ravens also sent a Round 3 to Arizona
Kadarius Toney (Giants —> Chiefs, 2022): Round 3 + Round 6
Jalen Reagor (Eagles —> Vikings, 2022): Round 7 pick + conditional Round 4 pick in the next draft
Second-round picks
Jonathan Mingo (Panthers —> Cowboys, 2024): Round 4 pick
Elijah Moore (Jets —> Browns, 2023): Round 2 pick… Jets also sent a Round 3 to Cleveland
Chase Claypool (Steelers —> Bears, 2022): Round 2 pick
Skyy Moore (Chiefs —> 49ers, 2025): Round 6 pick… Chiefs also sent a Round 7 to San Francisco
Van Jefferson (Rams —> Falcons, 2023): Round 6 pick… Rams also sent a Round 7 to Atlanta
If we’re looking for the “average” net return in all of these deals, it’s essentially a Round 3 or Round 4 selection. However, that figure is pretty heavily skewed by the Round 1 pick the Ravens got by dealing Brown, a 1,000-yard receiver, to the Cardinals in 2022.
Of course, Coleman doesn’t have a 1,000-yard season on his resume, so Brown isn’t very applicable here.
Therefore, if Brown is removed from the equation, the average net return becomes a late Round 4 pick.
The Rams currently have picks in Round 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 in the 2027 draft and are projected for a compensatory 7th. They sent their 2027 third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in the blockbuster Trent McDuffie trade in March.
The Bills are slotted to have a pick in each round in the 2027 draft along with two in Round 7.
Because there have been minor flashes from Coleman — like late in his rookie season and in Week 1 against the Ravens — I would expect the Bills to be able to get more than the lowly Round 6 – Round 7 pick swap which has basically become the smallest return a player can fetch on the trade market in the modern-day NFL.
Would I expect Coleman to get the Bills much more than that? No. And if the Rams offered a 2027 Round 4 pick in exchange for Coleman and, say, a Round 5 selection, I, personally believe that’s something the Bills should consider and ultimately agree to.
