There have been plenty of Keon Coleman detractors during the former second-round pick’s second NFL season.
And rightfully so.
Coleman’s production has been near nonexistent through the Buffalo Bills’ first seven games of the season, leading to immense struggles from the team’s passing game in recent weeks.
Following a 112-yard performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, Coleman has averaged 20.8 yards per game as the team’s second-most targeted player. That’s not good enough for a player who was expected to contribute significantly to an offense that was once considered one of the league’s most potent units.
During a recent episode of 89, a podcast hosted by former Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith and NFL reporter James Palmer, the NFL legend had some harsh words for Coleman and the Bills.
Palmer asked Smith what he had seen from Coleman this season, to which Smith replied, “Nothing.”
He added, “He just doesn’t get open fast enough. Josh Allen looks his way. There’s a few times when it’s press coverage when Josh looks over there. But Josh gets off of him very fast. And some people say, ‘Well, he was open on this play, but Josh got off of him.’ Yes. That means he’s taking too long.”
Coleman was railed against throughout his rookie season for his inability to separate on the outside, and those issues have once again plagued him in his second year as a pro. Despite intense efforts throughout the offseason to improve his ability to work himself free from defenders, Coleman has yet to see the fruits of his labor.
“He ain’t the guy,” said Smith. “Can’t get separation, can’t get off the jam, doesn’t have it. You reached and got burned.”
He went on, “You can’t teach a dog how to bark. You either got it or you don’t. And the problem is, can he be a dog? I don’t know.”
Smith later called on the Bills to add talent at the WR position, which the team is rumored to be pursuing ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
“It’s paramount. You’re gonna have to make a run for someone,” said Smith. “Because the Buffalo Bills are so desperate, they’re expecting plays made from Curtis Samuel to impact.”
When you hear Bills coaches and front office staff members discuss Coleman’s progression, they appear to be holding out hope that he will eventually transform into what the team drafted him to be, which is a matchup problem on the outside. But if you ask Smith, he’s just about done with the 22-year-old.
“He doesn’t have the ability to be a true No. 1,” said Smith. “And he’s not.”
