ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Keon Coleman does not shelter himself from criticism.
The negative comments that were once aimed at the Buffalo Bills third-year wide receiver over the past year ranged from comments on videos of Coleman dancing on the field to the receiver's perceived, by some, lack of effort to his skill level and speed. But it doesn't bother him.
"None of them going to come lace them up and try to stand in front of me," Coleman said this spring. "People are going to say what they want to say.
At the end of the day, my job is to come out here, put my cleats on, strap them up and prove my worth here." Coleman's first two seasons in the NFL have not gone smoothly. Tardiness and a right wrist injury impacted a roller-coaster rookie season after the Bills drafted him with the No.
33 pick in 2024. This past season, Coleman, 23, made a splash in the Week 1 win against the Baltimore Ravens (eight catches, 112 yards and one touchdown) but didn't again eclipse 50 yards in a game.
He was late for a team meeting in November, resulting in discipline as a healthy scratch for a game, which, combined with his place on the depth chart, had a trickle-down effect of the receiver being a healthy scratch for three more games. Then, Bills team owner Terry Pegula said in January that drafting Coleman was something the coaching staff pushed for, which in turn, played a part in trade speculation running rampant this offseason.
The Bills, however, have committed to Coleman. In an effort to put together a better 2026 campaign, Coleman has put together an "outstanding offseason," per Bills coach Joe Brady.
But the true test will be whether Coleman puts it all together for his self-described "make-or-break" season ahead under his new coach. "[Coleman's] in a really good place and that's nothing different than he's had in the past," Brady said during Buffalo's mandatory minicamp in June.
"...You feel him coming off the football, you feel the stride, you feel his size ... It's the consistency and the routine and everything he's doing, but handling everything like a pro ...
And a guy like Keon, he's positioned himself in a great place and just got to continue to build on that." Coleman's preparation for the 2026 season has come in a variety of forms, including gaining a mentor in former Bills receiver Stevie Johnson, who went through his own ups and downs in his NFL career. Johnson certainly understands the pressures of being a wide receiver in the NFL.
After being drafted by the Bills in 2008, Johnson played with the team through 2013, amassing three 1,000-yard seasons. Both players have experienced the impact of the public eye and the influence of social media.
Johnson, a significantly more active poster, once posted after a drop in 2010 that unknowingly led to the birth of "Bills Mafia." The former player has spoken publicly in support of Coleman in the past, including posting tips on social media and inviting Coleman to get together to work out. Johnson decided to be more proactive in connecting with the young receiver this offseason, and they began talking and texting after Johnson connected with Coleman's agent, Paul DeRousselle.
The pair met up at the University of San Diego before organized team activities began in May. Johnson says his first impression of Coleman surprised him.
"I thought he was going to be immature. I thought he was going to be, not a student of the game, just a very talented player with God-given skills," Johnson told ESPN.
"... But just right off the bat, ...
he was locked in, wanting to learn things, open to the constructive criticism. He was asking questions." On the physical side, Johnson gave Coleman perspective on what opposing players see when they line up against the 6-foot-3, 213-pound receiver.
Johnson also emphasized Coleman using his natural abilities, including being imposing with his size when running routes. "Similar build players, similar backgrounds when it come[s] to sports we play, how we move, how we see the game," Coleman said of Johnson.
"So, it's like two knuckleheads going at it. A lot of IQ guys that love the game and we could talk ball for hours." Johnson emphasized to Coleman how to make the quarterback want to throw you the ball.
If a route calls for Coleman to go a certain distance, sometimes quarterback Josh Allen will be ready to throw the ball a bit earlier. An example Johnson used is that if Coleman is supposed to be running a 15-yard hitch route, but the defensive back is already