Bills Owner Blames Coaches for Keon Coleman Draft Pick Amid Backlash

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman was an unexpected scapegoat during Wednesday's press conference in which the organization explained the decision to fire head coach Sean McDermott. One reporter asked general manager Brandon Beane about the state of the wideout position, which has been a glaring weakness the last few years. Team owner Terry Pegula stepped into so say "the coaching staff pushed to draft Keon." Beane deferred to the coaches, who were high on Coleman in the 2024 NFL draft: Beane and Pegula also pushed back on the idea that the former orchestrated McDermott's ouster in order to gain more influence behind the scenes: That was nonetheless the outcome as Pegula not only allowed Beane to stay on but also made him the president of football operations. On the topic of Coleman, Pegula's remarks feel a little unnecessary, even if there's broad agreement the second-year wideout hasn't panned out. Beyond lackluster production (67 catches for 960 yards and eight touchdowns in 26 games), the 22-year-old has drawn some criticism from his teammates for small missteps inside the building. Still, Pegula's comments don't achieve much beyond seemingly laying bare Buffalo's low internal opinion of Coleman. This could backfire even further because fans may closely scrutinize the team's larger returns from recent drafts. Coleman is far from the only high pick who has struggled so far. WGRZ's Vic Carucci reported Tuesday that McDermott in a meeting weeks ago "pointed out what the roster lacked to win a Super Bowl" and that "neither Beane nor Pegula was pleased with McDermott's assessment." Buffalo's coaching change wasn't a popular decision when coupled with the fact the front office is sticking in place. The way in which Pegula threw McDermott (and Coleman) under the bus will likely raise further concerns about where the organization is headed.