At Buffalo’s offseason workouts, Joe Brady is going out of his way to say that Keon Coleman remains very much in their plans. Coleman was the first pick of the second round in 2024, but has done little so far – he was a healthy scratch at times late last year.
Coleman famously was thrown under the bus by owner Terry Pegula, who suggested he was an ill-advised pick that was made after Sean McDermott overruled the team’s scouts.
Coleman’s offensive coordinator turned head coach says nobody is giving up on the former Florida State receiver.
“I made sure once I got the job to let him know, he’s going to be here, he’s going to be a part of our offense,” Brady says. “I’m excited about him progressing in this offense and getting with Josh [Allen] and doing those things.
“I love the work ethic, love how he’s kind of been doing it right now.”
All of which are the kinds of things coaches say in the offseason. But the on-field production (or lack of it) suggests Coleman isn’t going to come close to being the kind of receiver the Bills were hoping they were getting two years ago.
Coleman caught 29 passes for 556 yards and 4 TDs as a rookie. Not a total disaster, in that he averaged 19.2 yards per catch and played most of the year with an injured wrist (missing four games entirely).
Coleman opened last season by catching 8 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, but finished the year with only 38 catches, 4 TDs and a 10.2 yards-per-catch average. Four times late in the year, they didn’t even put him on the field.
Typically with wide receivers, if they don’t show a little something early in their careers, it simply doesn’t happen. In the last 10 years, 41 wide receivers picked in the first or second round didn’t post top-50 numbers in either of their first two seasons (using PPR scoring). Only five of those receivers moved up into the top 35 in their third season – Davante Adams (who was brought along slowly) and Jameson Williams (who entered the pros coming off a torn ACL) headline that group, which includes Devin Funchess, Nelson Agholor and Tyler Boyd.
Three of the other 36 receivers in that group, Will Fuller, Wan’Dale Robinson and Rashod Bateman, have had some pro success, but it’s a lean group overall.
I do not expect Coleman to be a big factor this year. Of the three other similar receiving prospects from the 2024, I would think Ricky Pearsall has the best chance of maybe turning things around.
In the chart below, you’re seeing third-year numbers for wide receivers who didn’t post top-50 numbers in either of their first two seasons.
| SLOW-STARTING WIDE RECEIVERS (last 10 yrs) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Pk | No | Yards | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2016 | • Davante Adams, G.B. | 53 | 75 | 997 | 12 | 248.7 | 9 |
| 2016 | Marqise Lee, Jac. | 39 | 63 | 851 | 3 | 180.6 | 40 |
| 2016 | Paul Richardson, Sea. | 45 | 21 | 288 | 1 | 56.3 | 106 |
| 2016 | Cody Latimer, Den. | 56 | 8 | 76 | 0 | 15.6 | 156 |
| 2017 | • Devin Funchess, Car. | 41 | 63 | 840 | 8 | 195.0 | 22 |
| 2017 | • Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 20 | 62 | 768 | 8 | 193.5 | 23 |
| 2017 | Phillip Dorsett, N.E. | 29 | 12 | 194 | 0 | 32.1 | 127 |
| 2017 | Breshad Perriman, Balt. | 26 | 10 | 77 | 0 | 17.7 | 145 |
| 2017 | Kevin White, Chi. | 7 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2.6 | 189 |
| 2018 | • Tyler Boyd, Cin. | 55 | 76 | 1028 | 7 | 221.1 | 17 |
| 2018 | Josh Doctson, Was. | 22 | 44 | 532 | 2 | 109.2 | 67 |
| 2018 | Will Fuller, Hou. | 21 | 32 | 503 | 4 | 106.3 | 69 |
| 2018 | Laquon Treadwell, Min. | 23 | 35 | 302 | 1 | 71.2 | 94 |
| 2018 | Corey Coleman, NYG | 15 | 5 | 71 | 0 | 12.6 | 165 |
| 2019 | John Ross, Cin. | 9 | 28 | 506 | 3 | 97.0 | 74 |
| 2020 | James Washington, Pitt. | 60 | 30 | 392 | 5 | 99.2 | 77 |
| 2020 | Dante Pettis, 2TM | 44 | 4 | 76 | 1 | 17.6 | 164 |
| 2021 | Mecole Hardman, K.C. | 56 | 59 | 693 | 2 | 144.9 | 47 |
| 2021 | Parris Campbell, Ind. | 59 | 10 | 162 | 1 | 32.2 | 141 |
| 2021 | N'Keal Harry, N.E. | 32 | 12 | 184 | 0 | 30.4 | 143 |
| 2021 | JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Phil. | 57 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 5.6 | 197 |
| 2021 | Andy Isabella, Ari. | 62 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2.3 | 218 |
| 2022 | Denzel Mims, NYJ | 59 | 11 | 186 | 0 | 29.6 | 137 |
| 2022 | Jalen Reagor, Min. | 21 | 8 | 104 | 1 | 26.9 | 138 |
| 2022 | KJ Hamler, Den. | 46 | 7 | 165 | 0 | 25.8 | 140 |
| 2023 | Tutu Atwell, LAR | 57 | 39 | 483 | 3 | 112.4 | 62 |
| 2023 | Rondale Moore, Ari. | 49 | 40 | 352 | 1 | 105.0 | 66 |
| 2023 | Rashod Bateman, Balt. | 27 | 32 | 367 | 1 | 76.5 | 85 |
| 2023 | Kadarius Toney, K.C. | 20 | 27 | 169 | 1 | 53.0 | 108 |
| 2023 | Terrace Marshall, Car. | 59 | 19 | 139 | 0 | 32.9 | 137 |
| 2023 | Dee Eskridge, Sea. | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .5 | 204 |
| 2024 | • Jameson Williams, Det. | 12 | 58 | 1001 | 7 | 212.2 | 22 |
| 2024 | Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG | 43 | 93 | 699 | 3 | 182.7 | 36 |
| 2024 | Alec Pierce, Ind. | 53 | 37 | 824 | 7 | 161.4 | 43 |
| 2024 | John Metchie, Hou. | 44 | 24 | 254 | 1 | 55.4 | 112 |
| 2024 | Jahan Dotson, Phil. | 16 | 19 | 216 | 0 | 41.9 | 118 |
| 2024 | Tyquan Thornton, N.E. | 50 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 8.7 | 173 |
| 2024 | Treylon Burks, Ten. | 18 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 7.5 | 175 |
| 2024 | Skyy Moore, K.C. | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .0 | --- |
| 2025 | Marvin Mims, Den. | 63 | 37 | 322 | 1 | 95.0 | 66 |
| 2025 | Jonathan Mingo, Dall. | 39 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 3.5 | 206 |
| 2026 | Ricky Pearsall, S.F. | 31 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2026 | Adonai Mitchell, NYJ | 52 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2026 | Xavier Legette, Car. | 32 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2026 | Keon Coleman, Buff. | 33 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan
