Bills coach Sean McDermott explains why he benched top rookie

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman caught his first career touchdown in the team’s blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 23, but his night didn’t get off to a great start.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott revealed after the game that the team’s top rookie was benched for the first quarter. As Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino reported, Coleman’s benching was a discipline issue related to his punctuality.

“Sean McDermott benched Keon Coleman for the first quarter against the Jaguars due to a punctuality issue,” Parrino shared in a post on X.

McDermott added that the problem did not occur on game day, but did not provide further details, Parrino added.

---

Keon Coleman has made up for lost time

After sitting out the first quarter, Coleman made up for lost time in the second quarter. After the Jaguars cut the lead to 13-3, Coleman caught a 24-yard touchdown from Bills quarterback Josh Allen — his only reception and only target of the game.

Speaking to reporters after the game, McDermott said he was confident it was just a one-off issue related to Coleman being late.

“It’s going to be a learning opportunity for him,” McDermott said, via Nick Veronica of WIVB. “It was a punctuality issue. He knows he has to be accountable to his teammates. We fixed it. We support him and we move forward. I thought he had a good game tonight.”

McDermott added that he thought Coleman did a good job responding to his benching.

“I’m very impressed with how Keon handled it,” McDermott said. “And then he came back out in the second quarter … when he caught the touchdown pass. I know how important his teammates are to him and again, this is going to be a learning opportunity for him.”

Coleman is expected to play a significant role in Buffalo’s offense this year, which was reshaped in the offseason after the team traded away top receiver Stefon Diggs and No. 2 pick Gabe Davis left in free agency.

The 33rd overall pick has had an uneven start to the season. After hauling in four receptions for 51 yards in the Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Coleman had no receptions and was targeted just once in the Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins. He was targeted once again in the win over the Jaguars, but managed to turn it into a touchdown.

---

Bills show ‘urgency’ for victory

Speaking to reporters after the game, Allen said he was impressed with how the team was able to maintain its intensity despite a long break between games. The Bills beat the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football in Week 2, then had a nearly two-week break before facing the Jaguars in another prime-time game, but kept their focus.

“This could have easily been a game where we had 10 days off and could have taken the pressure off, but we didn’t feel that from our players,” Allen said, via ESPN. “There was a lot of urgency all week long.”

Nathan Dougherty Nathan Dougherty is a sportswriter who covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins. He previously wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and was an associate editor for the sports magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management, and Training & Conditioning. He is based in Rochester, New York, and loves all things football. More about Nathan Dougherty