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They say no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, and wide receiver Keon Coleman found himself under the wagon after owner Terry Pegula’s press conference on Wednesday.
Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane were asked about Coleman after a lackluster second season, and Pegula blamed the fired coaching staff for selecting the wide receiver in the NFL Draft two seasons ago.
“I’ll address the Keon situation,” Pegula said during the press conference after a question about Coleman was directed at Beane.
“The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon. I’m not saying Brandon wouldn’t have drafted him, but (Coleman) wasn’t his next choice. It was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff, who felt strongly about the player.”
“He’s taken, for some reason, heat over it and not said a word about it. But I’m here to tell you the true story.”
Coleman, who was essentially labeled a draft bust by his owner, didn’t understand the comments but quickly shook them off, according to The Athletic. The 22-year-old was taken aback, but then went and worked out and prepared for next season, according to the report.
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While Pegula tried to absolve Beane for the selection of Coleman, the general manager stood by the fact that he ultimately made the selection.
“He was my pick. I made the pick,” Beane said during the press conference. “Terry’s point was that we might’ve had a different order of personnel versus coaching, and I went that way. But ultimately, I’m not turning in a pick for a player that I don’t think we can succeed with. So don’t misunderstand that. Keon Coleman is a young player that has been here two years, has two years left on his deal. It’s up to us to work with him and develop him.”
Coming into the season, the Bills were relying on Coleman to emerge as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver after not making any significant additions to the wide receiver room in the offseason.
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As a rookie in 2024, Coleman flashed star potential at times, catching 29 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. It looked like Coleman had taken the leap in 2025, as he caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
However, that performance ended up being an anomaly for Coleman. He never had more than 50 yards in a game the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and was a healthy scratch for four games.
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