We are only hours away from Thursday Night Football between the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills, but instead of celebrating Josh Allen’s six-touchdown performance and the renewed spark in Buffalo’s offense, the conversation has once again shifted to Keon Coleman. The second-year wide receiver showed up late to a team meeting before the Buccaneers game, which led to him being a healthy scratch last week.
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Now, according to multiple reports, he will again be benched for Thursday night’s matchup against Houston. This is yet another disciplinary setback in what has quickly become a troubling pattern. The Cover 1 report stating Coleman was late on Friday marked at least the third time in his young career that he has been tardy or absent for mandatory meetings.
Sean McDermott made it clear earlier this week that Coleman has to earn back the “respect and trust” of the locker room, and Buffalo’s actions speak even louder than his words. With Mecole Hardman and Curtis Samuel out due to injury, and with the Bills already incredibly thin at receiver, scratching Coleman again underlines just how seriously they view the issue. Cam Newton weighed in with a sharp message directed at Coleman.
This situation gained even more attention when Cam Newton weighed in with a sharp message directed at Coleman. On his show, Newton emphasized that the excuses and understanding that come with being a rookie no longer apply.
Newton said plainly, “You’re not a rookie anymore, brother.” He stressed that the grace period is gone, and the responsibility now falls squarely on Coleman to act like a professional. “We need you to… tighten up,” he said, pointing to the fact that Coleman had shown up late and put himself in the position to be held out of the game. “Showing up late and had to sit for the game? No. No. Hell no.”
Newton then reacted to the viral clip of Coleman dancing on the field before kickoff while in street clothes. He wasn’t angry that Coleman wasn’t moping or sulking; he was frustrated with the optics. “We ain’t pay you to be no doggone dancer,” Newton said, stopping the video to make the point that a player who is benched for disciplinary reasons shouldn’t be out there dancing.
Coleman did speak to reporters after the game and tried to be accountable, saying, “Just got to be better. Better on my end… Mistakes happen. Things happen.”
When asked if there was a message he still wasn’t receiving, Coleman dismissed the idea. “Nah, I wouldn’t say that.” He said the situation was “disappointing,” but not difficult, adding that when you understand why a consequence happens, you “get it.”
But while Coleman downplayed the message, his teammates made it clear it’s time for him to take the next step. Dion Dawkins, the veteran left tackle, delivered one of the most honest assessments. He told Coleman directly, “Let’s just say that this is the last time and let’s move forward.”
Dawkins explained that Coleman knows he is in the hot seat and needs to show up for the team. “Pats on the back are over with,” Dawkins said, stressing that accountability matters and that the locker room shoots straight. He added that Coleman took the words well, but now the team has to see whether he responds the right way.
Josh Allen was more diplomatic, saying he doesn’t make those decisions and would love to have Coleman on the field, but even he showed hesitation when asked directly about Coleman’s effort the previous week against Miami — the game where film surfaced of Coleman jogging through routes in key situations. The lack of separation and inconsistency at receiver has already contributed to Allen taking six more sacks than all of last season. The quarterback doesn’t need a perfect receiver; he needs one he can trust. Coleman hasn’t given him that.
