What will make Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense more explosive in the upcoming 2025 NFL season? If 2024 NFL Draft pick Keon Coleman emerges as the team’s top receiver option, watch out AFC East and the rest of the NFL.
Already a favorite of Allen, Coleman is a player with the size and talent to make that Bills’ offense more dynamic with his ability as a boundary receiver and a player who can take the top off the ball. After an okay rookie season in which he caught 29 receptions for 556 yards and 4 touchdowns, the expectations are higher for the former Florida State standout.
Can he rise to those expectations?
Keon Coleman named a breakout star in 20205
NFL analyst Bucky Brooks is a believer in Coleman. In naming his 2025 NFL All-breakout team, Brooks believes the Bills’ top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is in great position to shine as the top target for Allen.
Brooks writes:
“Josh Allen’s handpicked WR1 looks poised to make a major leap in his second season. Coleman’s superior size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and superb ball skills should help him take advantage of favorable matchups in the red zone. The sophomore should also see his numbers explode with Allen throwing the ball his way to exploit the coverage tilted in Khalil Shakir’s direction following Shakir's own breakout campaign in 2024. As opponents attempt to neutralize the reigning MVP and the NFL’s most potent offense with various coverages designed to eliminate the deep ball, Coleman could shine as the cheat code on the perimeter.”
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Although there was a level of expectations for Coleman in his rookie season, there wasn’t much pressure because the Bills did have Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Mack Collins and eventually Amari Cooper at wide receiver. This season, it’s different. Although the team added Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore to the mix, it is Coleman who stands out as that guy for Allen due to that size and athleticism. He also gave Bills fandom a glimpse of the explosive type plays he can make. In 2025 expect Allen to put more trust in his second-year receiver and target him more.
Can he be the cheat code on the perimeter that Brooks reference?
Absolutely, given Allen’s ability to emphasize in the pocket and make the type of throws he makes on the run, the size of Coleman along with his great hands will be in position to make dynamic plays over smaller defenders. Along with the running game and the two tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, the Bills have the kind of balanced attack that could be nightmare for opposing defenses, especially if Coleman extends the field for Allen with his ability to dominate the sidelines.