Buffalo Rumblings
Coleman’s recent emergence gives Bills fans a glimpse of a new star at being born at WR
In the Buffalo Bills’ impressive 31-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman put on a show, showcasing his rapidly growing role in Buffalo’s offense. After a few weeks of adjusting to the NFL, Coleman now looks like a polished weapon for quarterback Josh Allen, and his skill set appears primed to open up the offense in big ways moving forward.
If his current trajectory holds, Coleman could be a game-changer for the Bills offense and a go-to option for Allen. Looking back at last Sunday’s tape gives us a glimpse of what the future may hold in spades with Coleman. Let’s take a look.
Against Seattle, Coleman tallied five receptions on seven targets — racking up 70 yards and a touchdown. That made for an impressive two-week stretch for the rookie. Over his last two games, Coleman’s gathered 195 receiving yards on 14 targets with a league-high 103 yards after the catch (YAC) — which ranks fifth in the NFL in YAC over this span. Additionally, his 3.42 yards per route run ranks fifth in the NFL, which is a testament to Coleman’s play-making potential every time he touches the ball.
Adding to his impact as a receiver, Coleman’s work goes beyond catching passes; his run-blocking prowess was on full display in Week 8. Earning an incredible 90.8 Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade against the Seahawks, Coleman demonstrated that he’s a complete player willing to get involved in every facet of the game. Check out these clips of him making people look silly in the run game.
Matching up against Seattle’s top cornerback Tariq Woolen was no easy task, as Woolen is known for his size, speed, and sticky coverage. But Coleman rose to the challenge, highlighting his day with an amazing contested catch for a touchdown over Woolen.
Though not all of his targets were against Woolen, Coleman still managed to average 2.5 yards of separation, which is a solid number when facing a corner of his caliber a majority of the time. The Bills didn’t shy away from keeping Coleman on the outside for this matchup either — 22 of his routes ran were from the outside, and only four routes were run from the slot.
Coleman showed his versatility by running routes from each spot, something that will prove valuable as he grows within Buffalo’s offensive scheme. Here are some matchups between the two during the game:
Coleman almost pulled off a ridiculous catch on the first try, but Woolen did a fantastic job of raking his hands through the ball to break up the play. Woolen proceeded to trash talk Coleman after the play.
