The Biggest Question Nobody Is Asking About the Bills and How They Answer It

There’s one unclaimed spot in the Buffalo Bills’ starting lineup that hasn’t gotten a whole lot of attention this summer.

With training camp less than two weeks away, the Bills still have yet to sort out who their top punt returner will be during the 2026 season. There are a few obvious options that Buffalo could turn to as it gets set for training camp to begin on July 29, including Keon Coleman, who has been used sparingly as the team’s return man in the past.

The Bills averaged 6.5 yards per punt return in 2025, tied for 29th in the NFL, with the team’s top wide receiver, Khalil Shakir, serving more as a punt catcher than returner. Shakir was the team’s first option on punt return each of the past two seasons, filling the role out of necessity more than anything.

However, with Shakir becoming more and more important to the Bills’ passing game year after year, Buffalo could opt for a change when sending a man back deep. And that change could come in the form of the team’s 2024 second-round pick, who is trying to prove his worth any way he can before the season kicks off in Week 1.

Keon Coleman has experience returning punts for Bills

While he has never been used regularly as the team’s punt returner, Coleman has spent time at the key special teams position, including two returns last season. He didn’t produce much in his limited opportunity, averaging just four yards per return over his pair of chances. But he was a bit more effective in his final collegiate season at Florida State in 2023, when he recorded 25 returns totaling 300 yards, equating to an average of 12 yards per attempt.

So, while his recent history doesn’t prove to him being the ultimate answer on punt return, he does have a previous track record of success on special teams. Coleman recorded his production at the college level. Still, that provides hope that he may be able to reestablish that phase of the game as part of his growing skill set in Year 3.

Another option for the Bills at punt returner

Buffalo Bills safety Jalon Kilgore (29) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bills could also turn to a rookie to take over an important job in his first season. Selected by the Bills with the No. 167 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, former South Carolina standout Jalon Kilgore also has spent time, albeit limited, as a punt returner.

Kilgore is a versatile player who only returned three punts over his final two seasons with the Gamecocks, but in 2023, he made nine returns, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. Those aren’t great numbers, but Bills general manager has already referred to Kilgore as an exceptional athlete that can do it all. And with a logjam of sorts within the team’s safety room, Kilgore’s best opportunity to find playing time in Year 1 is likely to come on special teams.

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