Bills rookie WR feels no pressure to replace Stefon Diggs: 'I'm just Keon'

Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman feels no pressure to replace those who have come before him in the receiving corps.

Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) celebrates after catching a pass over Syracuse Orange defensive back Jason Simmons Jr. (6) (not pictured) during the first quarter at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills will have a new-look receiving corps in the 2024 NFL season, but ‘new-look’ does not necessarily equate to ‘lesser.’

The contemporary unit is comparatively unproven, as the team parted ways with veterans Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the spring in favor of young(er) options and players who have primarily served as complementary pieces elsewhere throughout their respective careers. Diggs and Davis have finished first and second in receiving yards in Buffalo in each of the past two seasons, but the team will now rely on third-year contributor Khalil Shakir, free agent signee Curtis Samuel, and second-round draft pick Keon Coleman for the bulk of its wide receiver production.

Coleman is perhaps the most interesting of the names, as he enters the campaign with substantial fanfare surrounding him. The Bills selected the trait-sy pass-catcher with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, hoping that they can mold his 6-foot-3 frame and obvious athletic gifts into something special. He’ll have the opportunity to put up significant production as a rookie, as general manager Brandon Beane has already stated that the team projects the former Florida State Seminole as their immediate X receiver.

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Though a much different on-field player than Diggs, the Buffalo faithful hope Coleman can ultimately fill his role as the team’s primary wide receiver. This desire—or expectation, rather—is not looming over Coleman as he prepares for his debut season. During a recent interview with CBS Sports, Coleman stated that he’s not letting the Bills’ past wideouts impact his mindset.

He’s simply being himself.

"Not at all," Coleman said, per CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin. "All I gotta do is come in, be myself, be who I'm supposed to be ... Because I'm not Gabe, I'm not Stef, I'm just Keon. We got a lot of other guys that definitely complement my game ... along with Josh [Allen], to make things work."

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman (WO04) during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As Coleman alludes to, Buffalo does have a talented receiving corps that Beane has previously likened to Baskin-Robbins in that it has several flavors. It’s a skilled group that boasts several unique skill sets, with these repertoires figuring to complement each other and form a larger unit that generates production in a myriad of ways. Coleman projects as the team’s big-bodied boundary target while Shakir will likely serve as a slot option who occasionally sees snaps on the outside. Samuel is a versatile piece whom the team will look to get the ball to in various ways, and second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid will likely see the bulk of the Bills' targets over the middle of the field.

Given the team’s projected egalitarian approach to aerial production, it doesn’t figure to have a Diggs-adjacent wideout this year; it’s hard to envision any player receiving the 160 targets that Diggs averaged throughout his four years in Orchard Park. That said, Buffalo doesn’t necessarily want that. It simply wants its pass catchers to contribute to the aerial attack as much as they can, with Coleman’s most significant impact as a rookie likely to come on big plays and in the red zone; he averaged 13.2 yards per catch in Tallahassee last season, also reeling in 11 touchdowns.

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