The Buffalo Bills are rumored to be benching wide receiver Keon Coleman for the second straight week, but their social media team may have gotten the news too late.
Coleman was a healthy scratch for last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he reportedly missed a team meeting on Friday, the second time this season he was benched for disciplinary reasons. A report indicated that Coleman would also be benched for Thursday’s game against the Houston Texans.
While the team had not yet confirmed whether Coleman would be benched again, they did feature the second-year receiver heavily on the pre-game hype video shared on social media.
Bills Showcase Keon Coleman Before Reported Benching
The video, shared on X early in the day on Thursday, showed several Bills players posing for the camera, including Coleman. It also had highlights of a touchdown catch from the wide receiver.
The post was shared hours before the Bills faced a critical matchup against a team just below them in the playoff standings — and one where Coleman will reportedly stay on the sidelines. Reporter Erik Turner of Cover 1 shared on Wednesday that the Bills were benching Coleman for the second straight game.
âFrom what Iâm told, it will be the second game in a row that Keon Coleman will be inactive for the Bills,â Turner reported on Wednesday. âItâs gonna be (Joshua Palmer), Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Khalil Shakir and Gabe Davis.â
Cover 1 was the first to report Coleman’s benching last week, though the report of this week’s inactive was not yet corroborated by other media outlets.
Team’s Next Moves Remain Unclear
The Bills could use some help at wide receiver against the Texans, with veteran Curtis Samuel and newcomer Mecole Hardman both ruled out with injuries. The team will be able to insert Elijah Moore back in the lineup after he was inactive last week, but could still use Coleman’s help.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reported that the action against Coleman is not meant to be permanent, saying the team still sees him as part of their long-term plans.
“To be clear, the Bills are not giving up on Coleman,” Buscaglia reported. “It looks bad right now for multiple reasons, but there is at least a modicum of untapped potential remaining for Coleman by altering his role, allowing his initial separation skills to shine on shorter area targets over the middle of the field. But much of his future remains on two distinct factors. The first is how they deploy him, and the second is how he responds to yet another self-inflicted setback.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has also injected some optimism, saying he appreciates the way Coleman has responded.
The Bills are trying to make up ground on the New England Patriots, who currently lead the AFC East at 9-2. Though the Bills have a solid grip on a wild-card spot — and can add to their lead if they beat the Texans — they also remain in the hunt for the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye.
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