In early May, I attempted to pinpoint precisely what a Buffalo Bills trade of Keon Coleman would look like. And now that a panel of ESPN staffers have chimed in, it’s time to circle back on this currently moot point that still holds a fair amount of intrigue.
The ESPN piece features four panelists — in this case Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Ben Solak, and Seth Walder — crafting their own “offer” for each player before Bills beat reporter Alaina Getzenberg stands in as Brandon Beane to determine whether or not she would accept any of four trade packages to consummate a deal.
From my research, I concluded a late fourth-round pick is what the Bills could reasonably expect to get for Coleman in a trade. Three of the four offers in this ESPN exercise from the Ravens (Fowler), Commanders (Graziano) and Raiders (Solak) were all slightly “worse” than that.
The Falcons (Walder) offered a 2027 fourth-round pick for Coleman and a 2028 sixth-round pick, which almost exactly nails my original projection of a net late fourth-rounder in this hypothetical swap.
I did not write that last sentence as a victory lap based on Walder and I seeing eye-to-eye on this scenario. If anything, the four offers coming reasonably close to the late fourth-round pick simply further validate Coleman’s trade-market value.
Of course, NFL decision-makers don’t have to follow trade-compensation suggestions from a group of analysts on the Internet. But those GMs are likely utilizing similar (or the same) historical reference points and past parameters when conducting deals of their own on a yearly basis.
In the end, Getzenberg declined all four offers, mostly citing how Beane, Joe Brady and Co. have remained steadfast in their outward belief in Coleman and that the third-year pro has made it clear he fully acknowledges past mistakes and what he needs to do to improve this upcoming season.
Me, frankly — I’d lean toward accepting the Falcons offer.
However, despite an extremely low confidence level in Coleman that stems from my pre-draft evaluation, and, more importantly, his play in the NFL to date, I could probably be talked into declining all four offers right now because of what else remains in terms of depth in the Bills pass-catcher room.
D.J. Moore and Khalil Shakir are locked-in focal points of the pass game. But Josh Palmer is still rehabbing from a set of serious (and related) lower-body injuries last year. Tyrell Shavers tore his ACL in mid January. Dalton Kincaid was banged up for the majority of the 2025 campaign. And for as much as I liked Skyler Bell during the draft process, he is a rookie, and with rookie receivers should come tempered expectations.
Coleman’s knowledge of and experience in Brady’s offense coupled with a clean bill of health make him different than all the other depth options at receiver, and thereby help him retain just enough value to stay on Buffalo’s roster, for now.
If, by the midway point of the season, one or more of Palmer/Shavers/Kincaid/Bell prove to be healthy and competent secondary/tertiary weapons for Josh Allen and that development coincides with more disappointing play from Coleman, I would strongly suggest the Bills move him before the early November trade deadline even if the cost for another team to acquire the young receiver is lower then than it is now.
