Why was Keon Coleman benched? A timeline of trouble with Bills leading to Week 12 healthy scratch

Teddy Ricketson

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Why was Keon Coleman benched? A timeline of trouble with Bills leading to Week 12 healthy scratch image

Wide receiver Keon Coleman was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Coleman instantly became a fan favorite with his opening interview, where he talked about bargain shopping and shared a deal he found.

A year later, Coleman is struggling to stay on the field. The Bills listed him as a healthy scratch for their Week 11 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The reasoning was that he was late to a team meeting the Friday before the game, but head coach Sean McDermott told the media that Coleman has to earn his teammates' trust and respect "one day at a time." 

Coleman, who had 556 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, now has a history of discipline from the team. Buffalo benched him as a healthy scratch again in Week 12 against the Houston Texans for "Thursday Night Football," making it the fourth time that the team has benched the wide receiver in less than two years. 

Here is more on Coleman's history of being benched in his short Buffalo tenure. 

MORE WEEK 12 NFL:

Keon Coleman timeline of trouble

Week 3 2024 vs. Jaguars

Coleman was late to a team meeting leading up to a Week 3 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. As a result, he was benched in the early part of the game, missing two offensive drives. 

Coleman didn't let that deter him, as he went on to score his first career touchdown against Jacksonville. 

Week 5, 2025 vs. Patriots

Coleman missed the first offensive possession against the Patriots. While specifics behind the reasoning weren't given, head coach Sean McDermott called it "head coach discipline." 

McDermott added about how Coleman can improve, “Growth, maturation, that leads to consistency more than anything. And like anything else, if you have winning habits, it leads to winning on the field. And so that’s really what we’re trying to create. And that’s what we’re here to do, is help young men, in this case, grow and mature and develop and become professionals.”

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Week 11, 2025 vs. Buccaneers

Coleman's third instance of team discipline saw him scratched for an entire game. Buffalo didn't end up needing him thanks to quarterback Josh Allen totaling six combined touchdowns in the 44-32 win over Tampa Bay, with veteran wide receiver Gabe Davis taking his spot in the wide receiver rotation. 

Again, the reasoning for the absence was related to discipline, as Coleman was late to a team meeting on Friday before the game. Coleman addressed the situation, saying, "I mean, I knew that. "S---, you can't keep doing it. You can't make those types of mistakes. You're a professional."

McDermott also spoke about the benching, providing insight into why the wide receiver was benched for an entire game this time. 

"It is disappointing [Coleman was in a situation to be disciplined again], but I still believe in the young man, and we get to a certain point and I've gotta do something. "I try and give the guys some -- a kind of a strike approach. Hey, you get a chance to show your teammates that's not really who you are. And then, when it happens again, then I step in. So, I believe he will learn from it. He takes it seriously, and he will move forward in a way of growing from this, and that's the whole goal."

Coleman's teammate Dion Dawkins was also asked about the benching. He said, “I've already spoke to him. I said, 'Bro, look, don't even worry about it. Everybody goes through a different journey, right? Let's just say that this is the last time. Let's just move forward.' And he said, 'I'm with you.' That's all we need, right? Nobody's perfect, but in this league, we need guys to come on. Keon knows, right now, he's in a hot seat, and he needs to come on and show up for us. Pats on the back are over with, and it's time for him to grow up, and he knows it."

Week 12, 2025 vs. Texans

Inactives for "Thursday Night Football" against the Texans will be released around 6:45 p.m. ET, and Coleman is expected to be inactive once again. There haven't been reports that the wide receiver was late to anything again this week, and it could be stemming still from the Week 11 tardiness, or that Buffalo wants to roll with the wide receiver group it had a lot of success with in Week 11. 

According to one report, “The Bills are essentially dressing five wide receivers. It’s gonna be (Joshua Palmer), Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Khalil Shakir and Gabe Davis."

As expected, the Bills made Coleman a healthy scratch for the Thursday night game.

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