If there’s anyone who can sympathize with the tribulation Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman is going through right now, it’s franchise legend Andre Reed.
A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Reed spent the first 15 seasons of his 16-year NFL career with the Bills from 1985 to 1999, totaling 941 catches, 13,095 yards, and 86 touchdowns while making seven Pro Bowls.
But there was a point in time when Reed was in Coleman’s shoes — a promising young receiver being counted on to blossom into a premier pass-catcher and anchor Buffalo’s wide receiver corps.
And while Reed eventually got there, he also had a few up-and-down seasons to start his career before he finally found a groove. And with Coleman going through some mid-season adversity, Reed thought it was the perfect time to weigh in on the situation.
Reed Had Some Strong Words for Coleman
Coleman was a healthy scratch for the second straight week in the Bills’ “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Houston Texans.
The former second-round pick was also benched in last week’s 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he reportedly missed a team meeting.
Coleman has been Buffalo’s No. 2 WR for much of the season. But since his 8-catch, 112-yard, 1-touchdown performance in Week 1, Coleman hasn’t done much. He’s also failed to show any real tangible growth or development.
But just because things aren’t clicking right now, that doesn’t mean they won’t, according to Reed. The two-time All-Pro took to social media to send an encouraging message to Coleman about how to bounce back once he gets back in the lineup.
“Please know I believe @keoncoleman6‘s time is coming…. Took me till year 3. I know the WR position better than most on the planet 🌎;) #BillsMafia,” Reed wrote on X.
Though Reed was far more productive than Coleman during his first two seasons, it wasn’t until his fourth season when Reed had his breakout.
That year, he caught 71 passes for 968 yards and six touchdowns, which snowballed into a career year the following season, in which he caught 88 passes for a career-best 1,312 yards and nine touchdowns.
Reed went on to have four 1,000-yard seasons, our seasons of eight or more touchdowns, and five seasons with 70 or more catches.
Bills Teammate Has Coleman’s Back
GettyBuffalo Bills WRs Tyrell Shavers, Keon Coleman, and Curtis Samuel
Coleman’s off-the-field behavior has become a concern in recent weeks after it was revealed he missed a team meeting, which prompted his first benching.
Multiple reports have also surfaced indicting that some in the Bills organization believe Coleman to be immature and not taking his career seriously. Others have questioned whether he has the commitment to reach the sky-high potential that led to Buffalo drafting him with the 33rd overall pick last season.
While seemingly everyone is kicking Coleman while he’s down, teammate Tyrell Shavers actually stood up for his fellow receiver during Thursday’s appearance on FanDuel’s “Up & Adams.”
“I just want to say he’s not perfect,” Shavers said of Coleman. “He’s human at the end of the day. We all are human. Everybody makes mistakes, and he’s learning from them. We’ve got to remember that he’s young.”
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