Joe Brady supports Keon Coleman after Bills owner’s comments

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — New Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady expressed his support for wide receiver Keon Coleman, saying “Keon Coleman is going to be a Buffalo Bill.”

“I told Keon when I was hired, the best thing that happened to Keon Coleman was me being his head coach,” Brady said Thursday, the day he was officially introduced for his new role. “I was one of those who was on the table for Keon Coleman, and I believe in Keon Coleman.”

Brady said 2025 was a “learning year” for Coleman, adding that the Bills “have to put the team first in a lot of things.”

“He’s going to continue to grow, but the things we saw in the draft process – the confidence I have in him and his abilities – and as long as he handles what he needs to do off the field, I have no doubt he’s going to be successful on the field,” Brady said.

Brady, who has been the Bills’ offensive coordinator the past two seasons, said Coleman’s best days are ahead of him and they have a vision for him to continue to grow on offense. Brady added that as a coordinator, he was at the table for every decision the team made, and when it comes to the success of the players on the team, they also need to make sure the system is as good as it can be.

Brady’s support for Coleman, the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, follows comments from owner Terry Pegula last week following the firing of coach Sean McDermott.

Pegula said the Bills’ coaching staff, not general manager Brandon Beane, “pushed to draft Keon” in 2024 and added that Beane “was a team player and took advice from his coaching staff who thought highly of the player.”

Coleman, 22, has had two inconsistent seasons with the Bills. The former Florida State star was disciplined by McDermott in November for being late to a meeting and was sidelined for four games, also failing to eclipse 50 receiving yards in a game since the start of the season. He was benched for a quarter of a game during his rookie season due to off-field timing issues.

By the end of the season, Coleman slid down the depth chart and was Buffalo’s sixth wide receiver. Coleman has 38 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games this season.

“Mr. Pegula can literally do anything Mr. Pegula wants to do,” Brady said Thursday. “And part of what I loved about it was the look, the communication and expressing your thoughts and feelings, that’s what I want. It’s part of our culture.

“…Keon Coleman is going to be on our football team, and I have no problem knowing if there is [are] the things that need to be cleaned up, those are conversations we can have. But Keon knows how I feel about him; how much I love him and the faith I still have in him.”

Bills star quarterback Josh Allen also expressed support for Coleman on Thursday, saying the receiver “will come back from [last week’s comments].

“I’m not going to give up [Coleman]”, Allen said. “He has too much ability and I will not give up on him. We’re going to work tirelessly, him and I, and everyone in this building as well, to make sure that every time we step on the field, we find ways to win football games. And he will be part of it. »

Beane, who was promoted to president of football operations last week, again expressed his support for Coleman and said he had spoken to Coleman’s agent, Paul DeRousselle, several times.

Beane added that Coleman was “head down, ready to go, and that’s our plan moving forward.”