Getty

Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman called the 2026 NFL season “make or break” as the former second-round pick enters a pivotal third year in Buffalo.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman delivered a surprisingly candid assessment of his NFL future Tuesday, calling the 2026 season “make or break” as expectations rise entering his third year in Buffalo.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for the 23-year-old wide receiver, who arrives at his third training camp carrying the weight of two underwhelming seasons, multiple disciplinary benchings, and a very public rebuke from the team’s owner that rattled the entire organization.

Coleman: Make-or-Break Season in 2026

“I know what I’m capable of, so if I fall anything short of that, I’m doing myself a disservice,” Coleman said, as quoted by ESPN‘s Alaina Getzenberg.

Coleman was Buffalo’s second-round selection, 33rd overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida State, arriving with the physical tools and considerable expectations of a long-term replacement target for the departed Stefon Diggs. Over two NFL seasons, he has accumulated 67 catches for 960 yards and eight touchdowns across 26 games. Those numbers are passable, but his trajectory has been headed in the wrong direction. After hauling in eight receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown in the 2025 season opener, Coleman never cracked 50 receiving yards in any game the remainder of the year, including the playoffs.

He was also a healthy scratch four times in 2025, benched for disciplinary reasons on each occasion, and caught just two passes across Buffalo’s two postseason contests. One did go for a touchdown, however.

Bills Owner Blasts Coleman

In January, Bills owner Terry Pegula ignited a firestorm at a postseason press conference when he essentially distanced the front office from the Coleman pick, saying the coaching staff had driven the selection and that general manager Brandon Beane had been “a team player” in going along with it, according to a Fox Sports report. Beane then took full ownership of the Coleman pick and said he stood behind it.

Coleman was blindsided by Pegula’s barb, but according to a source cited by The Athletic‘s Tim Graham, he shook it off quickly and immediately returned to his offseason workout program. Coleman never requested a trade.

New head coach Joe Brady — promoted from offensive coordinator after Sean McDermott’s firing — has been emphatic in his support of the troubled wide receiver. Brady said Coleman “is going to be on our football team” and pointed to his belief in the receiver’s ability dating back to the pre-draft evaluation process, CBS Sports reported. Quarterback Josh Allen has echoed that confidence publicly as well.

Still, the receiver room around Coleman is crowded. DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir project as the top two options in Buffalo’s passing game, leaving Coleman to fight for a meaningful role against Josh Palmer and fourth-round rookie Skyler Bell, according to NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper. With two years remaining on his rookie deal, Coleman has time. What he does not have, as he is apparently aware, is the unlimited patience of an organization already deep in transition after McDermott’s dismissal.

Tuesday’s words suggest he understands exactly where he stands, and what it will take to stay there.