The Buffalo Bills faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final preseason game on Thursday night at Highmark Stadium. Many starters rested for both teams, but some did so not for rest, but because of injury.
Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has been dealing with a foot/toe injury that he suffered in the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 15.
Coleman has worn a walking boot since the injury, and reporters saw him in it last Saturday when the Bills faced the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. But the Bills got some good news on Thursday.
13 WHAM’s sports reporter Dan Fetes posted a video on X of Coleman walking onto the field for the game against the Steelers. He wore a long-sleeve shirt and shorts, and there was no boot in sight; instead, he wore two slip-on sandals.
Coleman Has to Have a Good Performance This Season
Coleman is heading into his third NFL season, and he has to make it his best year yet. He has played in 26 games and has recorded 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight scores.
The 6-foot-3 wide receiver missed four games in his rookie season due to a chipped bone in his wrist, and then he missed four games last season because former head coach Sean McDermott listed him as a healthy scratch a few times.
Coleman was late to a meeting before a Week 11 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McDermott was not happy, which led him to list Coleman inactive for the game.
“You grow from it, we can move forward. You don’t grow from it, it’s hard to move forward,” McDermott said in November, via Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons. “So, ultimately, it comes down to developing trust and that trust that your teammates have in you. And that trust builds through repetition and consistency.”
Joe Brady Becoming the Bills Head Coach Is a Great Thing for Coleman
The best thing for Coleman was that the Bills decided to move on from McDermott this offseason and make offensive coordinator Joe Brady head coach, giving Coleman a fresh start.
“I made sure once I got the job to let him know, he’s going to be here, he’s going to be a part of our offense,” Brady said in May, via the team’s website. “I’m excited about him progressing in this offense and getting with Josh (Allen) and doing those things… I love the work ethic, love how he’s kind of been doing it right now.”
This is likely Coleman’s last chance with the Bills. If he doesn’t turn things around this season, there is a good chance Buffalo will look to move on from him after the season. However, one factor that could keep him around for another year is that he will be heading into the final season of his rookie deal, making him relatively inexpensive.
Since the Bills did not select Coleman in the first round, he is not eligible for a fifth-year option. The Bills would have had to pick it up this offseason for him to have a fifth-year option in 2028, but that is only available for first-round picks.
Bills Receive Encouraging News on Keon Coleman’s Injury