Ex-Bills’ WR Stevie Johnson Gives Generous Stat Prediction for Keon Coleman

The former longtime NFL receiver has been working with the one-time Florida State standout this offseason in a last-ditch effort to help Buffalo’s former 2024 second-round pick.

Sep. 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) reacts after making a catch against the Arizona Cardinals in the third quarter of an NFL game at Highmark Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This isn’t being hyperbolic: there might be no player on the current Buffalo Bills’ roster more polarizing than third-year wide receiver Keon Coleman.

A player who was once the apple of everyone’s eye within the fanbase known as Bills Mafia shortly after his selection at pick No. 33 in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Opelousas, Louisiana, native has fallen out of favor rather quickly in Western New York since that fateful Friday in April two years ago.

Some even feel the team should still go out and sign another player at his position regardless of if the room appears crowded or not.

And, even if the team doesn’t go that route, it’s unclear whether or not he can climb his way back up the metaphorical ladder of good graces before it’s too late in Buffalo.

Jul 24, 2024; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) is pictured during training camp at St. John Fisher University. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former Florida State WR knows it’s make-or-break

Coleman has the talent to be a playmaker between the white lines in the NFL, but it’s the off-the-field concerns that have seemingly been the sticking point since his arrival in Orchard Park, New York.

Whether it be untimely injuries, being late to meetings, having disagreements with others behind the scenes in regard to his usage in the offense, or him simply not producing enough for “new” head coach Joe Brady and franchise quarterback Josh Allen when he’s been given chances to correct his miscalculations of the past, Coleman has been a disappointment through his first two seasons in the league.

There’s no hiding from it.

“I mean, (it’s been) kind of the same process: stay working (on) perfecting my craft on the things I need to improve on and (keep) going from there,” Bills’ third-year receiver Keon Coleman said to reporters at the team’s practice facility on May 19.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) pulls down a pass on a crossing route while running a drill during the second day of Bills training camp practice at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I don’t really got nothing to say about (people’s comments). My job is to come out here and play football. I’m a professional, man. I ain’t really have a reaction to it. I mean, words are one thing, actions are another.

“I’m still here. So, it’s just a blessing. And, I’ve just got to come out here and compete.”

In 26 regular-season games, which includes 18 starts according to Pro Football Reference, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound “knucklehead”—his words, not mine—has managed to tally just 67 receptions for 960 yards and eight touchdowns on 116 targets.

And, in the postseason, Coleman has registered a measly five catches on 12 targets for just 68 receiving yards and one touchdown in five playoff appearances. 

It hasn’t been enough . . . not even remotely close.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) fumbles the ball while being pursued by New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane (14) during first-half action of an NFL game between the Bills and Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. The Patriots recovered the fumble deep in Bills' territory. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stevie Johnson gives bullish prediction on Bills’ disappointing WR

But, should Brady, Allen, and fans really expect much more from the Florida State product moving forward?

Or is this just who he is?

Well, if you ask former Bills’ wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who was selected by Buffalo at pick No. 224 in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Kentucky . . . that’s not the case.

Oct. 14, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson (13) stretches on the sidelines in the second half of an NFL game between the Bills and the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“He just, I believe, had a birthday. So, he’s 23 years old in his third year. Now, when I came into the league, I was 20 years old. However, I was surrounded by Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, (and) Josh Reed . . . it was around five to six veterans that (were) in the league four to five years.

“When Keon got in, I believe it was probably a three- (to) four-year veteran in there, maybe one of those (players) was Khalil Shakir, but he’s not as vocal,” former longtime Bills’ wide receiver Stevie Johnson said in an interview on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on June 3.

“So, with me and Keon, we just basically spoke on, you know, the things on and off the field—just showing up, and why you show up, how you show up, (and) the things you do in the facility.

“His skills, I mean, it’s beyond what I even thought (he had to work with). . . . He can run smooth. He can move like a guard (in basketball), but he’s like a small- or power-forward build. So, it’s just about showing up and being available because everything else will take care of itself with a talented guy like Keon Coleman.”

Former Michigan State forward Keon Coleman (40) drives to the basket while going in between two Indiana defenders during the second half of a Big Ten Conference collegiate basketball game between the Hoosiers and the Spartans on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Johnson, who has worked with Coleman during various different points this offseason in an attempt to give the former 23-year-old—who also starred at Michigan State University as a basketball player at the Division-I level prior to going to Florida State—any information he can to help better translate his skills from the basketball court to the football field this upcoming fall.

And, keeping that in mind, Bills Mafia’s fan-favorite retired receiver has seemingly seen enough from the former Spartans’ dual-sport athlete during his training sessions with Coleman to throw out a rather bold prediction in regard to his receiving stat line this upcoming season.

Johnson took to X on Sunday afternoon to relay the information after, apparently, reading an article regarding his fellow receiver, which was recently written by yours truly for Bills ON SI.

Take a look.

Excellent arrival article. 🫡

800 8 TDs in predicting

— 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖 Styles (@StevieJohnson13) July 12, 2026

Should fans drink the Keon Kool-Aid the former UK Wildcat is selling?

Now, while a prediction of a sub-1,000-yard season for Coleman this upcoming year for the Bills doesn’t sound too outlandish at first glance, it’s definitely not a mild take.

A stat line of 800 receiving yards and eight touchdowns would’ve led everyone on Buffalo’s roster last season, regardless of position, and the last time that a player on the team has hauled in at least eight touchdowns in a single season was back in 2023 according to StatMuse.

Can you guess the player?

Yup . . . Stefon Diggs, the player who Coleman was conceivably supposed to be replacing when he was drafted at the top of the second round two years ago.

Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) catches a touchdown from Bills quarterback Josh Allen during an NFL game between the Bills and the Packers in Orchard Park, New York. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

So—as you can clearly see—instead of Stevie slinging some mild sauce with his stat prediction on Sunday, it was more like a traditional hot wing flavor from Nine-Eleven Tavern—sorry, Bar-Bill lovers—on Bloomfield Avenue in Buffalo, New York.

Hot, but not too hot to handle.

Coleman has never even produced a season of 800 yards in his career, whether it be in the college or the pros, so anyone who is down on the prediction shouldn’t feel bad.

Former Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) drops a pass while being covered by former Florida Gators cornerback Devin Moore (28) attempts to tackle during a collegiate football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, November 25, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Your feelings are justified.

Still, Buffalo’s former top pick appears ready to put up or shut up this season.

So, don’t be shocked if Coleman can collect an amount of receiving yardage that is close to Johnson’s gridiron guess.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) gains extra yardage after catching a pass during an NFL game between the Bills and the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on January 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Like I said, I’m still here. I was not traded. None of the crazy things happened (that could’ve). I’m still here living in my house, getting up, coming out here to compete. So, I’m blessed,” Coleman continued earlier this spring.

“I’m just trying to put it all together. Potential things, I don’t really care to hear them. It’s time for me to just put it out there on the field.”

Giving my own spicy take for Coleman’s upcoming campaign

Regardless of that statement from the young wideout, I wouldn’t blame anyone who doesn’t see anything meaningful coming to fruition from Coleman’s extra work this offseason.

But, don’t forget, both Johnson and Coleman share a common background of being successful on the basketball court, and there’s no denying that Stevie made his unorthodox playing style work in the NFL.

Na we worked on serious things

I had to not be serious with 24,
He was ready for all the serious smoke. 🧠

— 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖 Styles (@StevieJohnson13) July 12, 2026

Johnson (2010-2012) and Stefon Diggs (2020-2023) are the only two receivers in Bills’ history to record at least three straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards or more.

If he can get Coleman even slightly close to accomplishing something like that, then it will just be another added weapon at the disposal of Buffalo’s former 2024 MVP quarterback.

WIth that in mind, I’m not going to be quite as friendly to the former Florida State standout in my prediction as Johnson was, but I do think Coleman has the potential to surprise this season . . . regardless of what others might think.

Nov. 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) celebrates with Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL game between the Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, in the spirit of a stat prediction rebuttal, my crystal ball says count me in for 48 receptions for 681 yards and six touchdowns for Coleman in 2026, which would be good for an average of 14.2 yards per reception and the highest total output—in terms of receptions, yards, and touchdowns—of his young NFL career.

It wouldn’t be flashy, but it’d be a step in the right direction heading into Year Four if things were to pan out that way for the former second-rounder.

Who knows?

But, we’ll all be one step closer to finding out somewhat of an answer on the third-year player’s outlook in just a couple of weeks.

Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jarrian Jones (22) tackles Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) during the second quarter of an NFL football AFC wild-card playoff matchup between the Jaguars and the Bills on Sunday, January 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stay tuned, folks. 

The start of training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, is merely two weeks away.

Football is—almost—finally back, Bills Mafia. Get the tables ready.

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