Keon Coleman benching a step back for Bills second-year wideout

Keon Coleman was supposed to fill the Buffalo Bills' void at wide receiver, but five games into his second season, he's presented as many problems as answers.

On Monday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that Coleman, the No. 33 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, was benched for the team's first offensive series in Sunday's 23-20 upset home loss to the New England Patriots because of a discipline issue. As ESPN Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg noted, it marked Coleman's second benching due to disciplinary reasons, with the first coming after he was late to a meeting ahead of a Week 3 game last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The off-field problems are only the tip of the iceberg in Coleman's struggles. When inserted into the lineup, he fumbled on his first reception, setting up the Patriots with possession at the Bills 11-yard line, and they converted the miscue into a field goal.

This season, Coleman has 21 receptions, 226 yards and two touchdowns. Over his last four games, he's averaged 8.8 yards per reception.

Benching must be a wake-up call for Coleman

When the Bills traded All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in April 2024, it created a vacuum at the position the front office attempted to fill by selecting Coleman with its first selection of the 2024 NFL Draft.

He was boom-or-bust as a rookie, ending the season averaging 19.2 yards per reception but only 29 catches on 57 targets. Coleman had the 10th-worst success rate, defined by Pro Football Reference as first-down plays that gain at least 40% of the required yards (four yards on 1st-and-10), second-down plays that gain 60% necessary yardage, and third- and fourth-down plays the result in a conversion, among 89 wide receivers with at least 50 targets. 

He's taken positive strides this season, ranking No. 21 among qualifying wideouts in catch rate over expected (8.9%), according to NFL Pro data. But Coleman has failed to produce much after the catch, gaining 21 yards less than expected, third-worst entering "Monday Night Football."

The Bills need more out of their young receiver to avoid more disappointing losses, starting next Monday at the Atlanta Falcons, who are coming off a bye. Buffalo has proven it's capable of competing with anyone, but unless Coleman steps up, it might not be able to realize its full potential.