The Buffalo Bills are in the hunt for the AFC East championship largely due to Josh Allen.
But the Bills are going to need more from their much-maligned receiving corps if they are going to challenge for the Super Bowl.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady addressed the Bills offense’s passing-game struggles, especially in terms of getting other receivers involved, despite their come-from-behind 35-31 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough.
Allen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for 48 yards, despite the fact Brandin Cooks and Keon Coleman did not catch a pass and Joshua Palmer only had one reception for 16 yards.
Still, the Bills (10-4) only trail the Patriots (11-3) by one game for the AFC East lead with three games to play. Buffalo can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Cleveland Browns and either a Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts loss in Week 16.
Joe Brady Wishes More Receivers Could Get Involved
Brandon Beane made moves to acquire wide-receiver depth, both in the preseason and regular season, since this is not the first time this issue has come up. The Bills brought in Cooks and Gabriel Davis to bolster that group, since Coleman and Palmer have struggled to earn targets.
Yet, Brady is working hard to get them all involved, even while Allen tends to favor Khalil Shakir and tight ends Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes.
“I always want to come out of every game feeling like everybody got involved,” Brady said. “There’s a lot of guys you come away wishing they got more targets or were more productive with it. That’s the battle I always fight on [my] shoulders. I want to get everybody involved.”
Cooks only has one reception in three games since joining the Bills, though he did have three targets against the Patriots.
But Coleman’s regression is even more alarming — he has four catches for 25 yards in his past three games and was a healthy scratch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers —Â especially since he called his rookie season “trash” before the year.
Still, Coleman’s struggles are comparable to other receivers on the Bills roster, according to Brady.
“You can say the same about Josh Palmer,” Brady said when asked about Coleman’s lack of targets and receptions. “I could say the same about B-Cooks.”
Joe Brady Defended Keon Coleman
Coleman is still five months shy of his 23rd birthday, which can be forgotten since he has already played 25 NFL games.
But Brady went out of his way to back the 2024 second-round selection, especially amid whispers the organization’s patience with Coleman is wearing out.
“You’ve got a guy coming off a [bad game] and a second year where he’s not getting the targets and it’s questioning whether we believe in him or whatnot,” Brady said, “but that’s not the case. There’s a reason he’s back up [on the depth chart] and rolling, and I still have so much faith in him.
“I wish I got him the [ball] a little bit more. He’s doing all the right things and deserving of these opportunities again, but he’s in the same position as everyone else. We don’t give a dang about anything except finding a way to win football games, and that’s all our focus is.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills OC Sends Honest Message on Keon Coleman, Brandin Cooks After Patriots Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.