Bills QB Josh Allen says this part of Keon Coleman’s game is ‘off the charts’

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen feels as though there's already one world-class element of rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman's game.

Kyle Silagyi | Aug 1, 2024

Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman pulls in a pass close to the sideline during route drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a history of prioritizing potential with his early draft picks. He’s not averse to taking a currently unrefined, but immensely talented player with a premium selection, as he has genuine belief that the brass and culture he’s constructed at One Bills Drive will allow that individual to flourish and develop into the player they’re capable of becoming.

Wide receiver Keon Coleman certainly fits this mold. Though the 6-foot-3 target flashed throughout his collegiate career, most recently catching 50 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns at Florida State, he was generally viewed as a bit raw coming out of Tallahassee due to his inability to consistently create separation at the collegiate level. That said, the makings of a potentially alpha wide receiver are there thanks to his frame, athleticism, and ‘go-up-and-get-it’ ability; he may not produce at an elite level straight away, but the sky is the limit with regard to his ceiling.

And though Coleman is still adjusting to the professional level as Buffalo progresses through its 2024 training camp, quarterback Josh Allen feels as though there’s already (at least) one world-class element to his game; the signal-caller praised the rookie’s intelligence after Thursday’s practice session, noting that he already has a strong understanding of the intricacies of the game.

“I think, again, just [his] attention to detail,” Allen said. “His football IQ, in my opinion, is off the charts. He understands defenses, he understands leverage when he’s running routes. Again, I think, too, just the catch radius that he has, you can just throw one up and he’s going to find a way to either go get it or break it up like we saw today. Again, just a different skill set that him, and I think Mack [Hollins] possesses the same thing, of just bigger-bodied guys that you feel like you can’t miss when you’re throwing to them.”

Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman pulls in a pass during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Allen’s praise of Coleman’s more under-the-radar strengths is encouraging, as understanding the nuances of the game is generally what allows a player to achieve consistent success. The wideout’s more subtle flashes have been accompanied by big plays in the passing game, as he’s routinely made stellar grabs throughout camp; he kicked the multi-week event off with an incredible touchdown grab in which he contorted his body along the side of the end zone to somehow reel in a pass, and he went up over cornerback Kaiir Elam to make another astonishing grab on Tuesday.

Coleman is slowly garnering Allen’s trust, something that should only bode well for Buffalo’s offense come the regular season. The team reworked its receiving corps in the offseason, parting ways with Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis and, thus, eliminating 241 targets and roughly 2,000 yards worth of production from its passing-catching unit; the Bills hope that Coleman can account for a substantial portion of this vacated production, and the (albeit incredibly) early returns are promising.

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