Why Bills benched rookie Keon Coleman for part of Week 3 win

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott sat wide receiver Keon Coleman for the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars because the rookie was late at some point ahead of their Week 3 matchup.

“It will be a learning opportunity for him,” McDermott said after the game. “It was an issue that dealt with being on time. He knows he’s accountable to his teammates. We addressed it. We support him, and we move forward. I thought he played a good game tonight.”

Coleman scored his first career touchdown after entering in the second quarter, breaking the game open for the Bills on the way to a 47-10 rout. The 24-yard score was Coleman’s only target of the night.

McDermott declined to specify if Coleman was late to Monday’s game or to a practice during the week.

“I’m just very impressed with the way Keon handled it,” McDermott said. “And then to go back out there in the second quarter … when he caught the touchdown pass. I know how important his teammates are to him and again, this will be a learning opportunity for him.”

Coleman had four catches for 51 yards against Arizona in Week 1 but was kept off the stat sheet by Miami in Week 2. Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed passes to 10 different players in Monday’s lopsided win, including touchdowns to Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir and Ty Johnson.

* * *

Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook , Twitter and Threads . See more of his work here .