After getting benched on Sunday for arriving late to a team meeting, second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman watched the passing game light up without him against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a clear reminder of how expendable he might be, but teammate Tyrell Shavers isn’t being too harsh on the youngster. 

“He is not perfect. He is human at the end of the day,” Bills‘ Shavers said on the Up & Adams Show. “We are all human. Everybody makes mistakes. He is learning from them, and he is young at this. 

“Going back to Marshawn Kneeland, RIP to him, mental health is real. Everybody is bashing [Coleman], talking about him. I am not saying he is in a bad spot or anything, but let’s also remember that he is human at the same time. He will learn from these mistakes. He will bounce back.”

While Coleman was benched, Shavers assumed a higher role. He remained dominant throughout the game, leading his team in catches and receiving yards. It was his best game. Plus, quarterback Josh Allen recorded six total touchdowns. The offense looked good while Coleman sat on the sidelines of Highmark Stadium in street clothes. He watched his mates take away a 44-32 victory. But it goes without saying that none of that was easy.

Since Coleman’s benching was last-minute, it also meant sudden changes to the offensive line. 

Coleman had been a full participant in practice all week.

The player was also benched during the team’s Week 5 game against the New England Patriots. Previously, he got benched for the first quarter against the Jaguars in his rookie season for not attending a meeting on time. 

Regardless, just like Shavers, Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins admitted Coleman will require more patience. “Nobody’s perfect, but in this league, we need guys to come on,” he said after the game. 

Though he and the locker room expect better from the player, they have largely remained supportive. Earlier this week, even head coach Sean McDermott, who was initially disappointed in the player, confessed that the receiver would eventually learn from his mistakes. 

The franchise stood by Coleman, with the head coach and general manager, Brandon Beane, staking a good amount of this year’s passing-game fortunes on Coleman’s hopeful evolution. One can only hope that the player can keep up with the expectations.

Will Keon Coleman play Week 12 against the Houston Texans?

According to Erik Turner of Cover 1, Coleman is likely to sit out for the second consecutive game on Thursday night against the Houston Texans. He revealed it on an episode of The Film Room.

The team might go ahead with Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Khalil Shakir, and Gabe Davis as their active WRs. That’s sad news, considering the Bills have a busy injury report this week. Coleman’s absence isn’t an ideal situation in a short week.

All that said, what does Coleman think about his benching?

“Just got to be better,” he said about his benching against Tampa Bay. “Mistakes happen. Things happen. But again, got to be better.”

While his fall from grace has been rapid, one can only hope he gets back on track. And he needs to do that fast. At 22, it might look like he has plenty of time to grow. But consider the fact that his rookie year was derailed by injury, and this season, maturation issues are causing too many unwanted conversations. His stock could fall if he doesn’t deliver in the near future.

Before his benching, Coleman had run a team-high 226 routes through the Bills’ first nine games. He also remains second on the team in receptions (32) and third in yards receiving (330).