Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills rookie WR Keon Coleman experiencing major growth since Amari Cooper trade

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 29, 2024 1:35 PM ET

After the Buffalo Bills traded for Amari Cooper, that seemed to light a fire in rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman.

Before their Week 7 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, the Bills acquired the 30-year-old wideout in a deal with the Cleveland Browns. Since then, Coleman's numbers have improved dramatically.

Over his past two games against Tennessee and Seattle, Coleman has nine receptions for 195 yards and one TD catch. He recorded 12 catches for 201 yards and two TDs in his first six games.

On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus shared the second-round pick out of Florida State has the league's fifth-most yards after the catch (103) and fifth-highest yards per route run (3.42) over the past two weeks.

Keon Coleman over the past two weeks:

195 receiving yards (4th)
103 yards after the catch (5th)
5 catches of 15+ yards (T-5th)
3.42 yards per route run (5th) pic.twitter.com/OuurxFsvek
— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) October 29, 2024

After crushing the Seahawks 31-10 in Week 8, Bills head coach Sean McDermott indicated Cooper's presence may be one reason Coleman is progressing.

"Having Amari, I think, helps, too, because he's another veteran in the room," McDermott said. "So that helps with guys that are already in the room. We've got good guys in that room that help young players develop and teach them the right way, teach them the right habits, the right routines Monday through Saturday."

Cooper still seems to be getting up to speed in Buffalo's offense. In his first two games with the Bills, he only logged five receptions for 69 yards and one TD catch. He should eventually find his groove. In 10 seasons with the Bills, Browns, Cowboys and Raiders, he has made five Pro Bowls.

If Coleman and Cooper form a dynamic WR tandem, that should make the Bills offense even harder to stop. Buffalo (6-2) has scored the league's fifth-most points per game (28.8).

Regardless, trading for Cooper could already be paying dividends for Buffalo. The deal is seemingly helping Coleman break out.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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