Ahead of the Buffalo Bills taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was revealed that the team chose to bench star wide receiver Keon Coleman. Though it was a confusing decision, head coach Sean McDermott revealed the reason why Coleman was a healthy scratch, stating that he missed a team meeting, resulting in his being pulled from the game.
Though the benching might have been a drastic measure, it was a message that needed to be sent to Coleman, which is the team will not tolerate this type of behavior. Following the Bills‘ win, another voice of reason spoke about the incident: team captain and fellow offensive star Dion Dawkins.
Dawkins shared some bold words for Coleman following the incident, and essentially stated he hit the receiver with some tough love. The All-Pro offensive lineman revealed he told the young pass catcher to “grow up.”
Per a video captured by Jonathan Acosta, Dawkins revealed that he understands Coleman missing has to do with his youth in the NFL.
“I already spoke to him. I spoke to Keon before this game. I told him, ‘Look, don’t even worry about. Everybody goes through a different journey. Let’s just say this is the last time, and let’s just move forward.’ And he said, ‘I’m with you.’ That’s all we need. Nobody is perfect. In this league, we need guys to come on. Keon knows. Right now, he’s in the 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. As an older player on the team, we hold everyone accountable, and we shoot straight. We don’t sugarcoat it. The words were said to him, and he took it well. We’ll see how it goes,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins also stated that the league is “hard” regarding being on time and juggling everything, but that is clearly not an excuse for Coleman. He also reiterated that he has his teammates back, but it is now up to him to show up.
Coleman exploded in 2024, picking up 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games played. There was hope that he would replicate that success and more in 2025.
Coleman secured 112 yards and one touchdown in Week 1, but has since failed to post anything above 50 yards. In a situation where the Bills need a true WR1, it was believed the second-year pass catcher would be that.
Following Coleman being benched and the strong words from Dawkins, this could be the wake-up call that he needs to lock in and become a dangerous factor in the passing game for Josh Allen, the offense, and for the entire team.
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