Back in late January, Bills General Manager Brandon Beane admitted the club “probably was a little disappointed” in receiver Keon Coleman’s performance after he returned from injury midway through his rookie season.
While Coleman — a second-round pick in 2024 — ended his first season with 29 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns, he had just two multi-catch performances once he came back from a wrist injury in Week 15. One of those games came in Week 18 with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, with Coleman making two receptions on 10 targets for 31 yards. He then had three catches for 22 yards in three postseason games.
In a Wednesday minicamp press conference, Coleman was plenty self-critical about his rookie season and how he views the tape of his first pro season.
“You want to know exactly what I see? [Man, that shit trash](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0hj5E684UA) — you’ve got to be better,” Coleman said. “It’s simple as that. You’ve got to be more efficient here. You’ve got to get out of this break. You’ve got to stack your DB. You’ve got to give Josh more room to throw the ball. You’ve got to catch that. You’ve got to make that block. You’ve got to give that extra effort on the touchdown block, so if Jimbo \[James Cook\] breaks it, he’s up the sideline.
“Just different things like that — calling out everything you’re doing wrong to make it right.”
Coleman doesn’t seem to find it difficult to be self-critical, saying that he approaches it as calling a spade a spade.
“It ain’t no, ‘Aw, that was trash. Well, I did do this right.’ Nah,” Coleman said. “It’s either a plus or a minus, and that’s just how you go about it.”
Coleman said he’s spent the offseason training to get bigger, faster, and stronger as he wants to play more physical. But even as he’s critical of his rookie season, he said he doesn’t get frustrated when watching it.
“I don’t really get frustrated. I don’t really need motivation,” Coleman said. “I’m self-motivated. I come here every day to work. This is a job, but to me it’s more — it’s a hobby and a profession. So, it’s something I love to do and I don’t need nobody to hit me on the back to make me go even harder. I’m coming with it from the jump.”
So, how much better can Coleman be in Year 2?
“A lot,” he said.