Bills' longest-tenured offensive player applauds 'fully-changed Keon' Coleman
Left tackle Dion Dawkins is the longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Bills' offense, so the four-time Pro Bowl selection's observations should carry some weight.
Thus far this summer, Dawkins, a 2017 second-round draft pick, has noticed substantial growth from the Bills' 2024 second-round selection.
After fading down the stretch of his rookie season, with his drop in performance coinciding with a Week 9 wrist injury, wide receiver Keon Coleman had an important offseason ahead of him. In fact, Bills' general manager Brandon Beane was rather candid when discussing Coleman's rookie campaign.
Although the true test won't happen until the regular season games begin, it appears that Coleman has made significant strides in between Years 1 and 2.
“It is night and day or sunny day in a storm, if you want to put it in any way. Keon is not the same player from last year, so the league better get ready, you know. He is not the same guy," said Dawkins following the next-to-last practice of training camp.
By multiple accounts, it sounds as if Coleman's mental maturity has increased in addition to the jump in his physical performance on field.
"Keon has shown up in every bit of where we needed him to show up at, from training camp to being on time, to checking into dinner, to checking into lunch, to being available," said Dawkins. "He's been a fully-changed Keon, and I'm happy to be his teammate, and for him to just keep learning, because he is going to be special, and he already is, he already is, but this is Keon's time, and you'll see it."
While a lot of attention has been focused on Coleman's lack of production during the 2024 season's second half — he totaled only 22 receiving yards over three playoff games — the then 21-year-old also needed to learn how to be a professional.
Coleman was benched for the first quarter of Buffalo's Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars for "an issue that dealt with being on time."
That all seems well in the past now, however, as quarterback Josh Allen highlighted Coleman's commitment to improvement back during a springtime interview with Sports Illustrated.
"All I can say is he is 100% taking this seriously. He's bigger right now. He's faster. He's stronger. He understands the playbook better," said Allen.
