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Bills' Keon Coleman given key mandate for 2026 NFL season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Keon Coleman has some work to do to make his time with the Buffalo Bills feel less like a failure and more like a success.
Whether or not the third-year wide receiver can pull it off remains to be seen. But it would be a big boost to the Bills' chances in 2026 if Coleman can finally put the pieces together.
His rookie season featured flashes but not a lot of consistency.
His second season was marred by benchings for showing up late to team meetings.
Then early in this offseason, Bills owner Terry Pegula appeared to throw Coleman under the bus a bit, which is never a great vibe for a player to get when he's still got a couple more seasons under contract with the franchise.
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Coleman, for his part, has acknowledged he needs to step up.
And in a recent article by NFL.com's Nick Shook, the analyst also points out how important it would be for Coleman to take a step in the right direction.
"He'll need to lean on that work ethic and hope it produces better results, because 67 catches, 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 regular-season games simply doesn't cut it," Shook writes. "He needs to take a step or two forward in the pivotal third year of his career. Buffalo is a franchise that has harbored Super Bowl ambitions for the last half decade and doesn't have time to be patient while attempting to keep its title window open. If Coleman is going to come anywhere close to meeting the expectations that accompanied his selection atop Round 2, he'll need to do it in 2026 or else face the possibility of moving elsewhere in 2027."
The Bills added DJ Moore to help the receiver group in 2026, but there will still be room for Coleman on the outside. He's likely battling Joshua Palmer and Skyler Bell for those snaps, while Khalil Shakir will hold down his usual role in the slot.
Coleman has impressive physical traits, and he needs to find a way to translate that into NFL games. If he improves his off-field habits, that will help his cause, as well.
Josh Allen has to know he can trust Coleman, and that's easier said than done. But it's an area of growth the Bills could really benefit from.
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