The Buffalo Bills' offense leans heavily on the legs of James Cook and Josh Allen, but questions about the team's pass-catchers continue to linger.
After the Bills reportedly passed on a potential Jaylen Waddle trade ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline and decided to move forward with their receiving corps as it was, the burning question remains whether Buffalo has enough weapons to win the AFC.
Whether Keon Coleman will be part of that effort is suddenly unclear. The second-year receiver's disappointing season took a strange turn on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting his short-term and long-term place on the depth chart in question.
Here's what you need to know about Coleman's status vs. Tampa Bay and his place on the depth chart moving forward.
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Is Keon Coleman playing today?
Coleman is a healthy scratch for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, meaning he is inactive despite not dealing with an injury.
The decision comes after Coleman scored his third touchdown of the season in a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 10. Even so, the Bills have expected more from Coleman this season after selecting him in the second round of the 2024 draft. Coleman is averaging only 10.3 yards per catch after putting up 19.2 as a rookie, recording more than three catches in only two of his nine games.
Here are the reasons behind the decision to scratch Coleman on Sunday.
Why is Keon Coleman out?
The Bills decided to scratch Coleman after he missed a team meeting on Friday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
Source: Bills WR Keon Coleman is inactive today because he missed a team meeting Friday morning. Until then, the Bills planned to play him, but their plans changed when he missed the meeting. Pic.twitter.com/2IyMUDrBRY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 16, 2025
NFL insider Jordan Schultz initially said the decision was "not performance-based," instead reporting the Bills want to "see more from [Coleman] in other areas."
With that being said, performance could be a factor, as the Bills likely would not be sitting Coleman out of a key game if he were playing like a legitimate offensive weapon.
One reason for the shakeup is the addition of multiple healthy receivers for the Bills. Gabe Davis has been elevated from the practice squad, while Mecole Hardman was signed and Josh Palmer is set to play for the first time since Week 4 after recovering from an injury.
Even with TE Dalton Kincaid out against the Buccaneers, Davis, Hardman and Palmer give the Bills some added depth that gives them time to let Coleman work on anything he needs to work on to be a contributor down the stretch. Whether Buffalo is planning for Coleman's access to be a multi-week situation isn't clear.
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What is a healthy scratch?
As a healthy scratch, Coleman is listed as inactive despite not dealing with an injury. He will not dress and cannot play.
NFL active rosters have 53 players, but only 46 can dress on game day, meaning seven have to be made inactive even if there are not seven players out with an injury.
Keon Coleman draft
Coleman was selected No. 33 overall, the top pick of the second round, by the Bills in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Coleman was part of a run on receivers between the late first round and early second round, as five players at the position came off the board between picks No. 28-34. Ricky Pearsall and Xavier Legette were taken with the final two picks of the first round, while Ladd McConkey directly followed Coleman.
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Bills WR depth chart
| WR | Player |
| 1 | Khalil Shakir |
| 2 | Josh Palmer |
| 3 | Keon Coleman |
| 4 | Gabe Davis |
| 5 | Elijah Moore |
| 6 | Curtis Samuel |
| 7 | Tyrell Shavers |
| 8 | Mecole Hardman |
The Bills have had trouble finding a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver since Stefon Diggs' departure, but offensive coordinator Joe Brady seems to be comfortable spreading the ball around. Right now, he doesn't have much of a choice.
Khalil Shakir is Buffalo's de facto No. 1 receiver, while Palmer had a large role before going down in Week 4 and could be in line to take over as the Bills' No. 2 receiver.
Coleman remains second in receptions for the Bills, though Davis could cut into his role if he has a strong return to the field in a Buffalo uniform.
Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel and Tyrell Shavers have eight, seven and five catches on the season, respectively, as complementary pieces for Allen. They will be joined by Mecole Hardman in Week 11 and perhaps beyond, as the former Super Bowl hero in Kansas City tries to stick elsewhere for the first time.