The Patriots may not need to circle Keon Coleman as a major headache just yet.
Buffalo’s receiver drew some early buzz after his first preseason showing, but the case for a true breakout looks shaky. Coleman, the former 33rd overall pick, finished that game with three catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. That was enough to get people talking, even though his 2025 season never really backed up the excitement.
Coleman’s sophomore year had one bright flash right out of the gate. In Week 1, when Buffalo pulled off a wild 41-40 comeback over the Ravens, he was a huge part of the offense with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. For a moment, it looked like the Bills might have found a real young connection for Josh Allen.
After that, though, the production dried up fast. Coleman didn’t top 50 receiving yards in any game the rest of the season, and his final numbers told the story: 404 yards. That’s why Moe Moton of Bleacher Report labeled the breakout chatter around him the biggest overreaction in Buffalo.
The hype also overlooks the baggage. Coleman was benched for the first quarter of the Bills’ Week 5 game against the Patriots for disciplinary reasons. Later, he was a healthy scratch in Weeks 11 and 12 after missing a team meeting, then sat again in Week 16 because of performance.
Buffalo also has plenty of competition at receiver. The team currently has Moore, Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Skyler Bell, Mecole Hardman, and Tyrell Shavers on the roster, and Coleman looks more like a WR3 or WR4 than a featured target.
There’s also the fit issue. Coleman brings a different skill set, but the receivers who have thrived with Allen have usually been the ones who separate quickly and create easy windows. Moore, Shakir, and Bell fit that mold more naturally, while past standouts like Stefon Diggs, John Brown, and Cole Beasley won with speed and quick separation rather than jump-ball work.
Coleman did have a strong rookie year, catching 29 passes for 559 yards and four touchdowns, and his 19.2 yards per catch stood out given that he wasn’t viewed as a burner. But right now, the safer read is that Buffalo is still waiting for him to become more than a complementary piece.
Another season in the 400- to 500-yard range feels like the likeliest outcome. If Coleman can simply give the Bills another wrinkle, that may be enough for Buffalo to call it progress.
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