Keon Coleman is finally starting to figure it out for the Buffalo Bills, and dude, it’s about time. This guy is actually understanding his on-field shortcomings and learning how to work around them to become a real asset in their passing game. You saw it in Week 4, right? His 116-yard performance in the loss to the Patriots was his second-highest yardage total *ever* in the NFL. Seriously, it was only behind that 134-yard absolute monster game against the Titans in 2024 when they throttled them 34-10 at home.
Coleman’s Level Up: Smarter, Not Just Faster
This isn’t just a fluke, either. After Week 4, Coleman’s yards-per-route-run figure hit 2.38, which is nearly double what it was a season ago. And get this: he’s hauled in two of his three contested-catch opportunities in the first month of the season. Now, yeah, contested-catch win rate isn’t super consistent week to week, but winning more than he loses, even this early, is a massive step up for a guy who was hovering between 30-40% back to his Florida State days in 2023. We all know he’s still not separating at a regular clip. He’s shown slightly better releases against press coverage off the line, sure, but is he ever going to be a consistent man-coverage winner in the NFL? Probably not. But here’s the kicker: success at receiver today isn’t *only* about beating man coverage. There’s so much more to it, and what’s clicking for Coleman early in Year 3 is his understanding of how to get open and “stay open” against zone defenses. He’s not just running through voids anymore; he’s processing the coverage faster and realizing he might already be open way earlier in the route. Plus, he’s seemingly getting that a little creativity in the route can make all the difference for Josh Allen.
The Joe Brady Effect: Unlocking New Dimensions
The NFL moves at such a ridiculous pace, right? Two weeks ago, Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady was a genius in Buffalo for his offensive calls. Now, some fans are already calling his offense stagnant. For the record, I don’t think Brady’s suddenly calling a boring offense. But one indisputably smart wrinkle from Brady pertains directly to Coleman heading into Week 5. Brady is deploying Coleman more in the slot and in-line, basically attached to the line of scrimmage, than ever before. Through four games, Coleman has run 16.5% of his routes from the slot and 6.8% in-line. That’s a combined 23.3%. As a rookie, he was in the slot or in-line on just 10.8% of his routes. Last year, that number was 18.7% in the regular season but shockingly sank to 2.4% in the playoffs. Even when Coleman is the “outside” receiver, Brady has cranked up the tight-split look before the snap, which gives Coleman just a bit more room to work.
It’s all about finding those little edges, man. For Coleman, it looks like it’s finally starting to pay off. We’ll see if he can keep this momentum going. As for other action around the league, that verified score from ESPN had the Los Angeles Chargers falling to the Seattle Seahawks, 30-23. Good stuff there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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