Rumors are swirling.
And they aren’t blowing in Keon Coleman’s favor.
RELATED: Should Buffalo Bills bench Keon Coleman vs. Buccaneers in Week 11?
After the Buffalo Bills signed Mecole Hardman to the 53-man roster and elevated Gabe Davis from the practice squad on Saturday, questions regarding Coleman’s game-day status for Week 11 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun to arise.
Davis plays a similar style to that of Coleman, while Hardman’s addition creates a numbers game that points toward the second-year pro potentially being on the outside looking in come Sunday afternoon.
The Bills typically dress five wide receivers on game days, while they have had as many as six active on one previous occasion this season. With Khalil Shakir and Joshua Palmer shoo-ins to suit up against the Bucs, and Davis and Hardman also likely to suit up for Buffalo, that will leave, at most, two spots available for Coleman, Tyrell Shavers, Curtis Samuel and Elijah Moore to fill this weekend.
MORE: Bills attempt to boost WR corps by calling up postseason record holder to face Bucs
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) runs the ball against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Therefore, there will be one or two odd men out come Sunday, with Coleman being a prime candidate to be one of those inactive players due to the redundancy of him and Davis, along with his lack of special teams contributions. Shavers has played in all three phases of Buffalo’s special teams unit while being on the field for 54% of the team’s STs snaps on the year. It’s unlikely Head Coach Sean McDermott will be willing to sacrifice Shavers’ services for another body on the outside.
Samuel and Moore play a similar role to each other, but far different from what Coleman offers. As the Bills aim to diversify their pass-catching corps, it would be a surprise if t least one of them weren’t active.
In addition, Cover 1, an analytics and film-based media outlet dedicated to covering the Bills, reported on Saturday evening that a source had informed them that Coleman would indeed be a healthy scratch on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
RELATED: Projecting Bills’ new-look WR corps with Davis, Hardman adds ahead of Week 11
According to a source, WR Keon Coleman will be a healthy scratch against the Bucs. A big shakeup in the Bills WR rotation.
— Cover 1 (@Cover1) November 15, 2025
“According to a source, WR Keon Coleman will be a healthy scratch against the Bucs,” read a post to Cover 1’s X account. “A big shakeup in the Bills WR rotation.”
The case for Coleman’s sidelining has been made previously, but with the discourse surrounding his benching gaining steam throughout the week, it’s appearing more and more likely that we will indeed see the former second-round pick deemed a healthy inactive for the first time in his career.
Coleman previously missed four games during his rookie season due to a wrist injury, but has never been sidelined while being absent from the injury report. However, despite his durability, his production has lacked since he was selected early in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Through nine games this season, Coleman has run a team-high 226 routes, but is second on the team in targets (49) and receptions (32), third in yards receiving (330) and touchdowns receiving (3). Per NFL Pro, Coleman’s average separation of 2.8 yards is 11th — yes, 11th — among Bills’ pass catchers. His catch percentage is 65.3%, which is eighth among Bills pass catchers.
You know what they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And the spark that lit the match to fuel the fire leading to Coleman’s potential benching flashed long ago. And now, we may see things start to burn down for the former No. 33 overall pick.
It’s been a disappointing start to Coleman’s career. And it appears as if his future with the Bills will be in jeopardy if he is indeed benched this weekend.
All eyes will be on the inactive list when it is released at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. If Coleman is not among the team’s 48-man game-day roster, social media will surely be set ablaze.
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