Buffalo Rumblings
The Bills GM said that they have had some straightforward conversations with Keon Coleman.
The Buffalo Bills traded down into the second round of last year’s draft before they selected a player, and that player was a wide receiver. Hopes were high that Keon Coleman would develop into a weapon that other teams would have to plan for. That wasn’t quite how the 2024 season played out, and in his end-of-season media session, general manager Brandon Beane expressed a little disappointment in Coleman’s rookie season.
Specifically, the Bills general manager was disappointed in Coleman’s return from injury, but admitted he wasn’t sure that the rookie had ever had to deal with being injured and trying to get back into the game at the same level.
“I wish he had finished the season stronger,” Beane said in his Thursday morning press conference, “but let’s give him a little grace. His career will not be defined by one season here.”
Coleman was injured in Week 9 when Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer used his helmet to initiate contact with the Bills’ receiver and Coleman’s hand took the brunt of the contact. Buffalo opted not to place the rookie on injured reserve, but he missed four games anyway.
There was never any confirmation from the team as to what Coleman’s actual injury was. During practices he was seen with a brace on his wrist, but never a cast. There was plenty of speculation as to whether the wide receiver had suffered a fracture, ligament damage, or other soft tissue injuries. However, Coleman himself gave an update at the end of November stating that the injury was a “bone issue” and that he was working to improve his range of motion.
He was back catching passes weeks before he was back in a uniform and had a questionable designation on more than one weekend. Beane’s comments would make one wonder – was the hesitation to get the rookie back on the field due to physical limitations or mental ones.
Before the injury took place, Coleman had recorded just 22 catches but also had four games with over 50 yards receiving – including one Week 7 when he caught four passes for a total of 125 yards against the Tennessee Titans. Coleman was becoming the Bills “contested catch” guy and was also caught laying some blocks that would spring other ball carriers free.
According to Beane, the Bills had liked what they were seeing out of the rookie prior to the injury, but that he was definitely not the same player upon his return. Post-injury, Coleman had seven catches and averaged under 20 yards per catch. That number is much lower when you take out the one catch for 64 yards he had in his first game back in uniform. In fact, it is a full nine yards less per catch. During the postseason, Coleman had just three catches – one in each of the Bills’ playoff games – that only amounted for a total...
