Are Fan Expectations Too High for Keon Coleman?

[716to540]

No. I'm not into stats or analytics. I don't have time for either. I'm old-school and have always heard that reciever is the second hardest position to learn in the NFL. I believe it's true and Keon is gonna be a-okay.

[Cash]

Depends on who you ask. I’m not super active on the board, but I’ve seen a LOT more people writing Coleman off than people expecting him to break out. 

[machine gun kelly]

6 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Well...it does roll that way sometimes (regression in 2nd season).  Look at Kincaid.

Kinkaid had knee problems he kept quiet until this summer.  Both knees.  We’ll see how Coleman comes back after the injury last year.

[BillnutinHouston]

My expectations are quite low.  Can't coach speed and his shiftiness is minimal.

 

He offers physicality and height, so in my mind he's a limited, niche player of sorts, requiring Allen to throw "high" to let him box out defenders in order to get his receptions.

[DeepPass]

He'll become a good, solid receiver for years to come.  Isn't that enough?

[Joe Marino]

4 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Yes or no?

We took each other’s names.

[GoBills!]

6 TDs , 750 yards is good for me. Everyone eats here. Shakir still leads the way as Josh’s safety valve. 
 

Kincaid and Coleman can only go up so much with added talent taking snaps. Hopefully both stay healthy 

[Billsatlastin2018]

8 hours ago, NewEra said:

I’ll go for 51- 825-6 if healthy.  
 

 

 

 

 

THAT is a very reasonable expectation. If he can’t hit that bar, why is he on a team gunning for a Lombardi?

[NickelCity]

I saw him play in Seattle last year and loved his game. After the injury he didn't get going at all. 

[Doc Brown]

5 hours ago, 716to540 said:

No. I'm not into stats or analytics. I don't have time for either. I'm old-school and have always heard that reciever is the second hardest position to learn in the NFL. I believe it's true and Keon is gonna be a-okay.

The stats and analytics support that at least on the offensive side of the ball.

[BigDingus]

12 hours ago, JohnNord said:

That said, I’m optimistic we’ll see some improvement. Personally, I’m projecting:

 

2025 prediction: 38 receptions, 625 yards, 3 TDs

 

What about you? What are your expectations for Coleman this season?

 

 

Wait, THAT is optimistic?!

 

Xavier Worthy beat that last year as a rookie, as he had 59 receptions, 638 yards & 6 TDs. 

 

If it's "expecting too much" to expect Keon to out-perform the rookie numbers of a player we passed on in favor of him, that's just sad.

 

We also passed on Ladd McConkey & Ricky Pearsall, the later of which got shot & missed significant time, only to nearly catch up to Coleman's production with less time played.

 

So no, I don't think it's unfair to expect Coleman to at least perform as well as other WRs we passed on taking. After all, he has an MVP QB throwing to him, so that should give him an advantage over anyone other than Worthy, right?

 

I expect Keon to have a significantly better season this year, and I think it's completely fair to have those expectations. Thankfully, I think he'll meet my expectations & do much better than those numbers you laid out. 

[GunnerBill]

Okay I was literally one yard out in my Khalil Shakir projection for last year (and bang on the money for TDs) so let's see if I can repeat the dosage with Keon for 2025. 

 

96 targets

52 receptions

858 yards

8 touchdowns

 

 

[Commish]

Insane hooper: 

 

[JP51]

18 hours ago, Einstein said:

I don’t think he will ever be more than a 2nd or 3rd WR.

 

I hope I am wrong and he dominates.

So WR and DBs seem to take a minute to develop depending on their maturity etc... so I have hope he grows...  I do not believe he will be the 2nd coming of Andre, but if he develops into a really good WR2  I am pretty sure I would be ok with that...  Maybe he does have 1WR potential... I am just not seeing that... but who am I.... but give me a Lofton to a Reed, or a Lewis to Butler, Evans to Moulds... etc...and thats solid... lets see how he progresses... too early for me to draw any conclusions especially with an injury that lasted weeks in a season... 

[ddaryl]

I never had any expectations of Coleman becoming a WR1. I also do not feel the Bills need a bonafide #1 WR

I do expect Coleman to become a better pro and to come close to doubling his rookie production

[kickedface]

my expectations were average going into the offseason. he occasionally showed flashes of being able to become a monster. i was hoping they'd send him to go train eric moulds. hes done a few things that have me a little bit excited, he showed up bigger after putting on some muscle weight and faster. plus he is a harsh self critic, guys like that tend to make the jump. sure he could get hurt or fizzle out and there are tons on this board that are waiting to say i told you so. some of those cool cats are still waiting to say the same about how we got the wrong josh and we'd have 9 super bowls if they had just gotten rosen instead. lol and thats why i love it here. GO BILLS!

[whorlnut]

I didn’t read all the responses, but the answer for me is, no. Keon was drafted very high in a DEEP draft for WRs. I was very surprised that he was apparently who they targeted when there were lots of concerns about his skill set as a prospect. To compound the issue, Beane didn’t double dip in a deep class like he probably should have. That’s why I also think the criticisms from the media and fans about WR and Beane are warranted. It was a head scratching selection to begin with and then not to try to hedge your bet with another receiver made zero sense. 
 

With all of that…I HOPE Keon puts it together and Beane was right. That’s what we should all want, but I certainly have my doubts. 

[JohnNord]

7 hours ago, BigDingus said:

 

Wait, THAT is optimistic?!

 

Xavier Worthy beat that last year as a rookie, as he had 59 receptions, 638 yards & 6 TDs. 

 

If it's "expecting too much" to expect Keon to out-perform the rookie numbers of a player we passed on in favor of him, that's just sad.

 

We also passed on Ladd McConkey & Ricky Pearsall, the later of which got shot & missed significant time, only to nearly catch up to Coleman's production with less time played.

 

So no, I don't think it's unfair to expect Coleman to at least perform as well as other WRs we passed on taking. After all, he has an MVP QB throwing to him, so that should give him an advantage over anyone other than Worthy, right?

 

I expect Keon to have a significantly better season this year, and I think it's completely fair to have those expectations. Thankfully, I think he'll meet my expectations & do much better than those numbers you laid out. 

McConkey and Worthy were thought of to be more refined receivers.  The consensus was that Coleman would need to work on his route running in the NFL and was more raw than those players.  Yet Coleman who only played 13 games isn’t that far off from the numbers that Worthy put up.  In fact, his yardage was almost the same despite playing 4 less games.

 

So that and the fact that even as an undeveloped WR he put up an average stat line as a rookie I think is optimistic.  The question is, how much better will he become?

[bmur66]

Expectations are James Lofton ish.

[corta765]

Of any WR on the roster I actually think Palmer is the one you may see the biggest bang from (Shakir not included he is a beast). Palmer has great separation skills and speed. In 2023 he was trending for a 1000 yd + year but got hurt. I could see him finding a larger role more the way people hope Coleman can.