Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman flashed some strong potential in his rookie season, but struggled to make an impact after returning from an injury that blew a hole in the middle of his season.
Now Coleman appears to be in the crosshairs as head coach Sean McDermott delivered something of a warning to the team’s second-round pick. Speaking to reporters at the NFL combine on Feb. 24, McDermott made it clear that the team expects to see improvement going into his second season.
Sean McDermott Points to Inconsistent Season for Rookie Receicer
McDermott said the team was happy with Coleman’s early play, where he made 22 receptions for 425 yards and three touchdowns through his first nine games. Coleman then suffered an injury that forced him to miss more than a month, and he returned to make just seven receptions for 131 yards over the course of his final four games.
The rookie had an even lesser impact in the playoffs, making three receptions on eight targets for 22 total yards.
The Bills head coach said on Monday that Coleman’s second half of the season was “rocky.”
“I thought he got off to a start that he built momentum through, and then he got injured, and then from there on, it was rather rocky,” McDermott said.
McDermott also issued a bit of a warning to Coleman, saying the team expects him to recover from the slow second half of the season and return stronger in 2025.
“We’re looking for him to learn from those moments of adversity, and come back and have a really, really, really strong offseason and get himself going into the start of season two,” McDermott said. “And that takes a certain type of person with a certain drive and determination and fire in their heart, and it’s going to be Keon’s turn to show that he has that this offseason.”
McDermott Singles Out Another Pass-Catcher
Coleman was not the only member of the offense to get some scrutiny from the head coach. Tight end Dalton Kincaid was also singled out, with McDermott reiterating his season-ending challenge for Kincaid to get stronger in the offseason.
“So, the most important thing that we need to do, and we need to help him with, and he needs to do as well, and taking the lead on this is getting stronger and more durable for us to be out there even more,” McDermott said.
Kincaid took a step back in his second NFL season, making 44 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. He also struggled at times in the playoffs, dropping a fourth-down pass in the AFC Championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that would have extended a key fourth-quarter drive.
McDermott said the second-year tight end has the right drive to put in the offseason work needed.
“The thing about Dalton that I want to make sure everybody understands is he is as serious about football and his improvement as anybody on our football team. He loves the game, he loves to compete, and some of the way he plays is reflection of his competitiveness,” McDermott said.
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