Bills Central

Bills QB Josh Allen praises WR Keon Coleman after ‘great play’ in NFL debut

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was complimentary of rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman after the team's Week 1 win.

Kyle Silagyi

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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Those at all levels of the Buffalo Bills organization have oft-spoken about the team's recently adopted ‘everyone eats’ offensive philosophy throughout the offseason, a mantra that stresses the importance of spreading the rock out amongst a bevy of talented targets as opposed to funneling aerial production through one player.

To play on this phrase a bit, rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman was one of the pass-catchers who ate well in Buffalo’s Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals; in fact, he perhaps had the largest portion.

He finished the game as the team’s leader in targets (five), receptions (four), and receiving yards (51). The 21-year-old also played on a position-high 72% of the team’s offensive snaps and was on the receiving end of its longest play of the game, a fourth-quarter 28-yard hurl in which quarterback Josh Allen simply gave Coleman a chance along the sideline—and the rookie delivered.

Coleman’s professional debut wasn’t gaudy from a statistical perspective, but his consistent usage and role within the offense were promising and suggest that (potentially) significant production is coming. Allen was complimentary of his wideout after the team’s 34-28 win, telling reporters that his decision to trust the rookie on his fourth-quarter bomb stemmed from something he saw earlier in the contest.

“He went up and made a play,” Allen said. “I feel like I could’ve thrown a touchdown earlier in the game to him on a little post route at the goalline, elected to run. After looking at that, I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to trust the kid and let him do what he does.’ Made a great play there.”

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Allen capped off the drive with an equally impressive play of his own, a six-yard touchdown rush in which he leaped over Arizona defender Budda Baker en route to the endzone. 

The quarterback’s willingness to trust Coleman on a crucial play late in his professional debut is perhaps a testament to the rapport the two have constructed throughout the offseason; both Allen and the rookie have oft-spoken their burgeoning connection over the past several months, a relationship they put on display several times throughout training camp to the tune of several impressive completions.

Coleman has not yet found paydirt as a professional, but given his promising debut, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he reaches the endzone; he’ll have his next opportunity to do so this Thursday night in a Week 2 clash with the Miami Dolphins.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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