Two Bills' playmakers dubbed as Buffalo X-factors for 2025 NFL season

Keon Coleman was one of two players who were listed as the Buffalo Bills' X-factor in 2025.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills need their pass-catchers to step up in 2025 thanks to a ton of uncertainty at the position.

The Bills, who didn't have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024, let Amari Cooper walk after last year's failed experiment, and the team brought in Joshua Palmer in free agency to replace him.

Along with Palmer, the Bills are hoping for a breakout season from sophomore receiver Keon Coleman, who showed flashes in 2024 but finished with just 556 yards in 13 games.

In an article listing each team's X-factors for the 2025 season, ESPN's Seth Walder named Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid.

"Wide receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Bills need at least one of the two to take a big step forward," Walder said. "If they do, GM Brandon Beane will look plenty justified not investing more in another pass catcher.

"More importantly, that would give Allen another real playmaker to throw to besides Khalil Shakir. (I'm not much of a believer in former Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer.) If neither breaks out, then Buffalo has a pass-catching weakness," Walder added.

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Kincaid didn't have the season the Bills were hoping for in 2024. The 25-year-old missed four games and tallied 448 yards in 13 contests.

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) drops a pass in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship Game | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Even if you take his 34.4 receiving yards per game and extrapolate that over 17 contests, Kincaid would've finished with 585 yards, nearly 100 fewer than he had in his rookie campaign.

Along with Palmer, the Bills also added Elijah Moore in free agency to offer more depth behind the team's No. 1, Khalil Shakir, who received a hefty contract extension this offseason.

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As we saw last season, the Bills don't need huge production out of their receivers to have success. In fact, Josh Allen won the Most Valuable Player award, even without a highly-productive pass-catcher, and the team went 13-4 overall.

But there's no question that the Bills still want to see more out of Coleman and Kincaid, who are former second- and first-round picks, respectively.

If both can step up, that would greatly increase Buffalo's chances of winning the Super Bowl in 2025.

Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) runs for a gain during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos in an AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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