The outlook for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has taken a sharp turn for the worse in recent weeks.

The second-year player, still only 22, found himself on the sideline for the second consecutive game during the Bills’ 23-19 defeat to the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football to open Week 12. Coleman had also been a healthy scratch the week prior against Tampa Bay after arriving late to a team meeting.

In all, he has now been disciplined with three separate benchings across his brief two-season NFL tenure, raising legitimate concerns about his long-term fit in Western New York.

Following the loss, head coach Sean McDermott was asked why Coleman remained inactive for another week. The coach kept his comments measured and avoided painting the situation as dire.

“Nothing new, we’re just taking it one day at a time right now,” McDermott said. “I thought he had a better week, and we’ll move forward one day at a time.”

Coleman’s rookie year began with genuine promise. In Buffalo’s season-opening victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he exploded for eight receptions, 112 yards, and a touchdown, instantly fueling optimism that the former Florida State star could fill the massive void left by Stefon Diggs as the team’s primary outside threat.

What followed, however, has been far less encouraging. Over the next eight contests, Coleman managed only 24 grabs for 218 yards and two scores—a stark drop-off that has sparked alarm among fans and analysts alike.

While the repeated benchings appear designed to light a fire under the young receiver, sources close to the organization insist the Bills are not ready to cut ties.

“To be clear, the Bills are not giving up on Coleman,” The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia wrote. “It looks bad right now for multiple reasons, but there is at least a modicum of untapped potential remaining for Coleman by altering his role, allowing his initial separation skills to shine on shorter area targets over the middle of the field.“But much of his future remains on two distinct factors. The first is how they deploy him, and the second is how he responds to yet another self-inflicted setback.”

For now, Coleman’s path forward hinges on both a potential schematic adjustment and, perhaps more importantly, his own ability to regain the trust of a coaching staff that has shown a willingness to enforce accountability—even at the expense of on-field production.