ESPN analyst says WR Keon Coleman has been instrumental in reviving Bills offense

The mark of a good leader in any sport is the ability to pivot when evidence suggests an acquisition or philosophy is not living up to expectations; In this regard, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is a pretty good leader.

He revamped his receiving corps in the 2024 offseason, parting ways with longtime starters Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in favor of a mix of versatile but unproven pass catchers who offered little in the way of demonstrated pro play. The offense started out promisingly without a bona fide No. 1 option, but it struggled mightily in Weeks 4 and 5, with Buffalo’s receiving corps totaling just 14 catches in consecutive losses. The unit recovered somewhat from the Week 6 win, but not enough to provide confidence heading into the heart of the regular season; So Beane pivoted, acquiring five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns to give his team a reliable primary target.

And while Cooper hasn’t put up flashy stats through his first two games in a Buffalo uniform, the offense has benefited from his presence, as he rushed for 389 yards and 34 points in a Week 7 win and followed it up with 445 yards and 31 points in a comfortable week. 8 victory. The veteran was relatively productive (having five passes for 69 yards and one score in two games), but it was the emergence of the team’s pre-existing wideouts that opened up the offense; Third-year player Khalil Shakir, for example, looked great in the Bills’ Week 8 rout of the Seattle Seahawks, catching nine of 10 targets for 107 yards.

Connected: These stats highlight Bills WR Khalil Shakir’s dominant start to the 2024 season.

And no Buffalo player has looked better in the last two games than rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, as he caught nine passes for 195 yards and one touchdown through two games. He is starting to consistently demonstrate the qualities (physical attributes, competitive catching ability, running catch ability, etc.) that made him attractive to the team in the pre-draft phase, to the point where he is now the top player teams. a heavily deployed receiver by a significant margin.

One national expert credits the addition of the rookie with allowing Buffalo’s offense to regain its early-season form, and ESPN analyst (and former NFL defensive back) Dan Orlovsky praised Coleman during a recent network appearance. The expert believes that the 21-year-old is starting to feel comfortable at the professional level, which will allow the team’s attack to improve further as the season progresses.

“A huge part is their rookie receiver Keon Coleman,” Orlovsky said. “I think No. 1, his sense of his zone is really starting to show. Number 2, his power comes out of field coverage and he realizes, “I’m open, get your eyes back on the quarterback.” I think his understanding of difficult, contested catches in the red zone continues to shine through, as well as when he should expect the football from his quarterback. If he continues to make some of these moves like he’s done the last two or three weeks, he, along with (Khalil) Shakir and (Dalton) Kincaid, will be a very dangerous pass-catching group.”

Coleman currently leads the team in touchdowns (three), while Shakir leads the team in receptions (36) and yards (421). Kinkaid isn’t far behind in either category, catching 28 passes for 300 yards and two scores in eight games. All three are still young players who only expect to improve as their professional careers progress; think about the man throwing the football to them and the fact that they have a seven-time 1,000-yard rusher to carry them through the rest of the 2024 campaign, and it seems like the sky is the limit for Buffalo’s offense.

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