The Indianapolis Colts could use another wide receiver heading into the 2026 NFL campaign, and ESPN’s Seth Walder feels he has the answer.
In a recent piece where Walder proposed some intriguing trades, he outlined a package centering on the Colts acquiring wide receiver Keon Coleman from the Buffalo Bills.
Under the terms of the proposed trade, the Colts would receive the 6-foot-3 Coleman along with a 2028 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round selection.
The package reflects both Coleman’s uneven start to his professional career and the relatively modest cost of acquiring a player still early in his development. Coleman, selected by Buffalo with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft, has yet to establish himself as a consistent contributor.
Over 583 career routes, he has managed just 1.65 yards per route run, accompanied by open, catch, and yards-after-catch scores of 48, 51, and 49 respectively according to ESPN’s player-tracking metrics. Those figures fall short of the expectations that accompanied his draft status, yet they also leave room for growth rather than signaling a complete bust.
Compounding the on-field questions has been public friction in Buffalo. Bills owner Terry Pegula publicly attributed the decision to draft Coleman to the previous coaching staff rather than the current front office, an unusual and pointed remark about a player still on the roster.
While the Bills are under no obligation to move him, the combination of limited production and ownership’s comments has made Coleman a plausible trade candidate. For a franchise like Indianapolis, which is looking to bolster its receiving corps, the opportunity to bet on residual upside at a discounted price carries appeal.
The Colts enter the season with uncertainty at the position. Alec Pierce, recently re-signed to a four-year deal averaging $28.5 million annually, underwent ankle surgery and has not yet returned to the practice field. Behind him, the outside receiver depth is thin, relying on veterans such as Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ashton Dulin, while Josh Downs remains a promising presence in the slot.
Adding Coleman would provide another option on the perimeter regardless of Pierce’s recovery timeline, giving the offense more flexibility as it seeks to stay competitive in a difficult AFC landscape.
Walder draws a useful comparison to the 2024 trade that sent Jahan Dotson from the Washington Commanders to the Philadelphia Eagles. In that deal, Philadelphia surrendered a third-round pick and two sevenths in exchange for Dotson and a fifth-round selection.
Dotson, like Coleman, was entering his third season after an inconsistent start, yet he had been a higher draft choice and was held in higher regard at the time of the trade. Because Coleman’s stock sits lower, the proposed compensation of a single fourth-round pick feels appropriately calibrated. It allows Buffalo to recoup some value while shedding a player who has not yet justified his original selection, and it gives Indianapolis a low-risk chance to develop a former second-round talent in a new environment.
Whether the teams ultimately pursue such a transaction remains to be seen, but the logic is sound on both sides. Coleman would gain a fresh start away from the scrutiny that has followed him in Buffalo, while the Colts would inject additional competition and potential into a receiving group that could use both.
In the broader context of training-camp deal-making, the proposal stands as a measured example of matching a team’s need with another franchise’s surplus, using draft capital that reflects the player’s current market reality rather than his draft pedigree.
