Why Keon Coleman benchings, trade rumors matter for Bills' 2026 NFL Draft plans

TL;DR

Keon Coleman, drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round, has faced challenges including benchings and trade rumors. These issues could impact the Bills' strategy for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Key points

Keon Coleman was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round.
Coleman faced benchings due to late arrivals and performance issues.
Terry Pegula criticized Coleman, leading to trade rumors.

Buffalo Bills

Why Keon Coleman benchings, trade rumors matter for Bills' 2026 NFL Draft plans originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The whole point of the Buffalo Bills drafting Keon Coleman early in the second round two years ago was that they'd hopefully not have to take an early-round WR for a few seasons.

Well, that hasn't exactly gone according to plan.

Coleman's spotty rookie season was followed by a sophomore campaign in which he showed up late to meetings and got benched. Then after the season, Bills owner Terry Pegula basically threw Coleman under the bus.

That prompted trade rumors involving Coleman, too, although for now he's still a member of the Bills as the 2026 NFL Draft arrives.

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Why Keon Coleman matters to Bills' draft plans

The reality is that if Coleman had worked out, Buffalo may not have even traded a second-round pick for DJ Moore, let alone be considering also using its first-rounder on a receiver (like KC Concepcion).

But Coleman didn't work out, and now the Bills are doing whatever they can to help the passing game around Josh Allen.

The tricky part is that Coleman is still entering his third season. He still could improve and make an impact. And for now, he still takes up a spot on the Buffalo depth chart.

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So not only do the Bills have to consider how to replace Coleman -- they also have to at least entertain the possibility that Coleman doesn't need replacing at all.

That makes their thoughts early in this year's draft a bit more complicated. Bills Mafia will have to trust in Brandon Beane, who admittedly hasn't always proven that trustworthy, to make the right call.