Bills’ Brandon Beane doesn’t hold back with bold statement about Keon Coleman and his future with the organization in 2026
Keon Coleman has a lot of room to improve.
The Buffalo Bills have a Keon Coleman problem. The young wide receiver just hasn’t had the career many were hoping for through the first two years of his play. From disciplinary actions to healthy scratches, Coleman has left much to be desired with his performance on the field.
There were rumors that the team might want to move on from Coleman heading into 2026, finding a trade partner to package a deal to upgrade at a position of need or to move up in the draft, but not so fast. New head coach Joe Brady said during his introductory press conference that Coleman was part of the team’s long-term plans, and general manager Brandon Beane shared a similar sentiment.
“I know we’ve got some new coaches and they’re excited to meet him and get to work with him, and we were aware of him in the draft process a couple years ago,” Beane said. “So they kinda wanna try and start [to] mold him in the way they see and envision him for our team.”
Brandon Beane opens up on Keon Coleman and the vision for 2026
Beane was talking at the NFL Combine when the topic of Coleman came up, and Beane didn’t mince his words when he was discussing the soon-to-be third-year player. Beane opened up on what he needs to see from Coleman heading into 2026.
“I think we need to see Keon have the offseason he had a year ago,” Beane said. “Which was excellent, we couldn’t have asked for anything more [ . . . ] He came to Phase I, Phase II, all that stuff dialed in, ready to go, you could tell he had been working out. And then [ . . . ] he had an excellent camp, let’s do that again.”
The new president of football operations discussed the issues the young receiver faced in 2025.
“It’s the maturity, it’s the off-the-field,” Beane said. “That can get in the way. I’ve been in this league 28, this will be 29 seasons. I’ve seen that many times get in the way of people’s opportunities to grow, not only on the field, but expand their net worth off the field.”
Coleman showed flashes in 2025, and it’s something the team needs more of
It wasn’t all bad from Coleman in 2025. In fact, Coleman started the year on fire against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, giving fans hope that it would continue throughout the season. After an impressive camp, Coleman opened the season with eight receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, that was about as good as it got for the receiver. He finished the season with just 30 catches for 292 yards and three touchdowns. As Sports Illustrated reported, that is an average of 2.7 receptions and 26.5 yards per contest over the next 11 games that he played.
Beane wants to get that Week 1 magic back for Coleman.
“So that is kind of the challenge to Keon,” Beane said. “Can you go back and do what you did all offseason and your training camp, and if you remember, he had a great game [in] game one against Baltimore, don’t let some of the matruity issues off the field affect the product on the field.”
The message from One Bills Drive is clear: this is not a talent issue, it’s a trust issue.
Buffalo isn’t giving up on Coleman, not yet. The new regime believes the Week 1 version is still in there somewhere, but belief only goes so far in a Super Bowl window with quarterback Josh Allen in his prime.
Year three isn’t about flashes; it’s about consistency, maturity, and proving that the distractions are in the past and the production is here to stay.
The Bills don’t have a Coleman problem; they have a Coleman decision coming. 2026 will answer it.
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