{"id":654209,"date":"2026-05-20T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/654209\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:30:10","slug":"its-make-it-or-break-it-keon-coleman-hears-the-criticism-but-he-isnt-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/654209\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s make it or break it\u2019: Keon Coleman hears the criticism, but he isn\u2019t listening"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. \u2014 Athletes always talk about ignoring the outside noise.<\/p>\n

What about when the call is coming from inside the house?<\/p>\n

Third-year receiver Keon Coleman said he has not spoken to Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula and sees no need to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is there to talk about?\u201d Coleman said Tuesday during his first chat with reporters since Pegula\u2019s controversial comments four months ago. \u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coleman, however, knows that merely showing up won\u2019t be enough for 2026.<\/p>\n

Coleman has faced criticism for his effort and maturity, and whether or not the owner\u2019s tongue slipped, it sounds as though Pegula considers him a bust so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s make it or break it,\u201d Coleman said after Tuesday afternoon\u2019s voluntary practice at One Bills Drive. \u201cYou\u2019re s\u2014, you might not be here. Simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pegula generated headlines with comments about Coleman<\/a> while announcing head coach Sean McDermott\u2019s firing and general manager Brandon Beane\u2019s promotion to president. Beane was asked about Buffalo\u2019s lackluster receiver production, but Pegula interrupted to say Beane didn\u2019t want Coleman.<\/p>\n

Coleman, the 33rd overall draft choice in 2024, was benched twice \u2014 for the first quarter of a game his rookie season and a full game last year \u2014 for tardiness. McDermott made him a healthy scratch for three more games.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cI\u2019m not saying Brandon wouldn\u2019t have drafted him, but (Coleman) wasn\u2019t his next choice. It was Brandon being a team player and taking advice of his coaching staff, who felt strongly about the player. He\u2019s taken, for some reason, heat over it and not said a word about it. But I\u2019m here to tell you the true story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bills have been doing damage control ever since.<\/p>\n

Beane and new head coach Joe Brady have been effusive in their optimism about Coleman\u2019s development. Not everyone has believed them, but they have stressed they have no desire to trade Coleman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a professional, man,\u201d Coleman said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really have a reaction to it. Words are one thing; actions are another. I\u2019m still here. So it\u2019s just a blessing to come out here and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through his first two seasons, Coleman has managed only 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 regular-season games. He added five catches for 68 yards and one touchdown in five playoff games.<\/p>\n

For another NFL team\u2019s social media crew to mock a fringe contributor might seem like overkill. Coleman was the Bills\u2019 punchline for the Los Angeles Chargers\u2019 schedule-release video<\/a>. Using a clip from the \u201c4th and 1 with Cam Newton\u201d podcast, in which the former MVP chided Coleman\u2019s immaturity and lack of production, the Chargers rejoiced in the Bills\u2019 decision to draft Coleman one slot ahead of highly productive Ladd McConkey.<\/p>\n

Coleman was asked how he shelters himself from what\u2019s said over the airwaves and on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cShelter myself?\u201d Coleman replied with a laugh. \u201cI ain\u2019t scared of s\u2014. I know what they\u2019re saying. I hear it. I just don\u2019t care, you know what I\u2019m saying?<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of them\u2019s going to come lace \u2019em up and try to stand in front of me, none of those things. People are going to say what they want to say at the end of the day. My job is to come out here, put my cleats on, strap \u2019em up and prove my work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n

After practice, Coleman unlaced those cleats and handed them \u2014\u00a0along with his helmet \u2014 to undrafted Kennesaw State receiver Gabriel Benyard to tote into the locker room for him.<\/p>\n

Coleman hasn\u2019t proven anything substantial in the NFL yet, but at least he\u2019s not a rookie anymore. If he\u2019s willing to enjoy a veteran\u2019s spoils, he should know it\u2019s time to be a grown-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to put it all together,\u201d said Coleman, barefoot on the grass. \u201cThe \u2018potential\u2019 thing I don\u2019t really care to hear. It\u2019s time for me to just put it out there on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. \u2014 Athletes always talk about ignoring the outside noise. What about when the call is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[1807,399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":["post-654209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-football","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}