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New Bills head coach Joe Brady is continuing to put his full support behind young wide receiver Keon Coleman.
He sees the opportunity for the third-year player to develop ahead of the 2026 season. Despite a bumpy 2025 that saw the former second-round pick become a healthy scratch on multiple occasions due to tardiness issues off the field, Brady is adamant Coleman is a key part of the team’s future.
While speaking at the NFL Owners Meeting in Phoenix, he made clear his belief in the player he himself (literally) stood up for in the Buffalo draft room.
“Keon, I've never said anything negative,” Brady said. “I was the first to tell everybody I wanted Keon Coleman. So Keon's not gonna just be pushed aside. He's gonna continue to develop.”
That development is a priority. After a season in which Coleman's opportunity as a potential top target misfired, Brady has made it his mission to unlock the receiver’s potential. He affirmed Coleman’s roster spot is secure, declaring, “The growth that Keon's gonna have from this year to next, Keon is on our football team.”
Brady’s public vote of confidence comes after a tame season for the No. 33 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft on the field and tardy one off it. After showing flashes in his rookie year, Coleman’s sophomore campaign produced just 38 receptions for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Not bad numbers in a Joe Brady offense, but not great ones.
The on-field development was stalled by off-field issues. According to reports, Coleman was benched twice for disciplinary reasons and dealt with problems away from the facility that led to him being a healthy scratch.
Brady, however, sees a path forward that hinges on maturity. He directly addressed the off-field component, separating it from Coleman’s football character.
“The thing with Keon is from a football standpoint, man, his work ethic, his approach, how he's going through it,” Brady explained. Then, in a moment of candor, he added the crucial caveat: “If Keon just takes care of, and I know I'm talking about his personal, but if he just takes care of himself off the field and he just shows up, he's gonna be good to go.”
Brady served as the offensive coordinator during Coleman’s 2025 struggles and benchings. He is not a new voice, but one who saw the problems firsthand and now, with the full authority of the head coaching position, believes he has the solution.
The offensive landscape Coleman returns to in 2026 is dramatically different, and it might just be the perfect environment for a turnaround. The blockbuster trade for star receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears immediately installs a legitimate WR1 in Buffalo, alleviating the pressure that crushed Coleman a season ago.
From a roster-building and offensive scheme perspective, this makes all the sense in the world. Coleman will no longer be asked to carry the load or face the opponent’s top cornerback. Instead, he will line up opposite one of the league’s premier weapons, giving him a real chance to cook against lesser coverage. The addition of Moore means defenses can’t focus their attention on Coleman, creating the one-on-one matchups where his talent can shine.
We’ve seen what that talent looks like. In the 2025 season opener, Coleman exploded for eight catches on 11 targets for 112 yards and a touchdown in a comeback victory over the Ravens. That performance, which Dion Dawkins had foreshadowed in the preseason, proved to be an outlier, but it remains the blueprint for what he can be. At just 22 years old with career totals of 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 games, the flashes are undeniable. He fits the bill as a big-bodied X-receiver who can win contested catches.
That being said, the plan to get him there needs to be meticulous. Brady has entrusted that task to his staff, specifically naming his receivers coach.
“And Drew Terrell's gonna have a great plan of what we're going to do to be able to get him to be the receiver that we ultimately drafted to be,” Brady promised.
The stage is officially set for Keon Coleman’s redemption arc. He has a new head coach who personally vouched for him, a new receiver-focused development plan, and a new running mate in DJ Moore to draw defensive attention.
The expectations to take the next step, however, remain.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Joe Brady gives latest thoughts on WR Keon Coleman
Continue reading...
He sees the opportunity for the third-year player to develop ahead of the 2026 season. Despite a bumpy 2025 that saw the former second-round pick become a healthy scratch on multiple occasions due to tardiness issues off the field, Brady is adamant Coleman is a key part of the team’s future.
While speaking at the NFL Owners Meeting in Phoenix, he made clear his belief in the player he himself (literally) stood up for in the Buffalo draft room.
“Keon, I've never said anything negative,” Brady said. “I was the first to tell everybody I wanted Keon Coleman. So Keon's not gonna just be pushed aside. He's gonna continue to develop.”
That development is a priority. After a season in which Coleman's opportunity as a potential top target misfired, Brady has made it his mission to unlock the receiver’s potential. He affirmed Coleman’s roster spot is secure, declaring, “The growth that Keon's gonna have from this year to next, Keon is on our football team.”
Brady’s public vote of confidence comes after a tame season for the No. 33 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft on the field and tardy one off it. After showing flashes in his rookie year, Coleman’s sophomore campaign produced just 38 receptions for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Not bad numbers in a Joe Brady offense, but not great ones.
The on-field development was stalled by off-field issues. According to reports, Coleman was benched twice for disciplinary reasons and dealt with problems away from the facility that led to him being a healthy scratch.
Brady, however, sees a path forward that hinges on maturity. He directly addressed the off-field component, separating it from Coleman’s football character.
“The thing with Keon is from a football standpoint, man, his work ethic, his approach, how he's going through it,” Brady explained. Then, in a moment of candor, he added the crucial caveat: “If Keon just takes care of, and I know I'm talking about his personal, but if he just takes care of himself off the field and he just shows up, he's gonna be good to go.”
Brady served as the offensive coordinator during Coleman’s 2025 struggles and benchings. He is not a new voice, but one who saw the problems firsthand and now, with the full authority of the head coaching position, believes he has the solution.
The offensive landscape Coleman returns to in 2026 is dramatically different, and it might just be the perfect environment for a turnaround. The blockbuster trade for star receiver DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears immediately installs a legitimate WR1 in Buffalo, alleviating the pressure that crushed Coleman a season ago.
From a roster-building and offensive scheme perspective, this makes all the sense in the world. Coleman will no longer be asked to carry the load or face the opponent’s top cornerback. Instead, he will line up opposite one of the league’s premier weapons, giving him a real chance to cook against lesser coverage. The addition of Moore means defenses can’t focus their attention on Coleman, creating the one-on-one matchups where his talent can shine.
We’ve seen what that talent looks like. In the 2025 season opener, Coleman exploded for eight catches on 11 targets for 112 yards and a touchdown in a comeback victory over the Ravens. That performance, which Dion Dawkins had foreshadowed in the preseason, proved to be an outlier, but it remains the blueprint for what he can be. At just 22 years old with career totals of 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 games, the flashes are undeniable. He fits the bill as a big-bodied X-receiver who can win contested catches.
That being said, the plan to get him there needs to be meticulous. Brady has entrusted that task to his staff, specifically naming his receivers coach.
“And Drew Terrell's gonna have a great plan of what we're going to do to be able to get him to be the receiver that we ultimately drafted to be,” Brady promised.
The stage is officially set for Keon Coleman’s redemption arc. He has a new head coach who personally vouched for him, a new receiver-focused development plan, and a new running mate in DJ Moore to draw defensive attention.
The expectations to take the next step, however, remain.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Joe Brady gives latest thoughts on WR Keon Coleman
Continue reading...
