"Can't teach a dog how to bark": Steve Smith Sr. torches Keon Coleman over Bills WR's struggles 

Keon Coleman is struggling in his second season in the NFL, and that has attracted some harsh words from a legend of the sport.

Over seven games, including four starts, the Buffalo Bills wide receiver has had just 267 yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 catches. By contrast, he had 556 and 4 on 29 in 2024.

Such underperformance has irked former Carolina Panthers dominator Steve Smith Sr., who posited a reason why on the "89 with Steve Smith Sr." podcast on Wednesday - he just does not break away quickly enough:

“When it’s press coverage, Josh looks over there, but Josh gets off of him very fast. And some people jump in the comments and say, ‘Well, he was open on this play, but Josh got off of him.’ That means he’s taking too long. That means the quarterback doesn’t have confidence in your ability to get there.”

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He also claimed that Coleman would never be a WR1 the same way Stefon Diggs was:

“He ain’t the guy. ...Doesn’t have it. You can’t teach a dog how to bark. You either got it or you don’t.”

Later that night, Coleman responded:

The following day, during the Bills' practice for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he once again refused to address Smith's comments, instead saying:

“It might be games like Baltimore where I get off, and other games like last week (Khalil Shakir) get the yards. That’s just how it flows. It’s football.”

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Bills OC speaks up on Keon Coleman's receiving struggles in 2025

How Keon Coleman performed in the season-opener serves to highlight how frustratingly inconsistent he can be. Against the Baltimore Ravens, he was an unexpected hero, covering 112 yards and scoring a touchdown on just 8 catches in a 41-40 comeback win.

Since then, however, he has failed to hit even 50 yards once. A day after a 40-9 win at the Carolina Panthers, offensive coordinator Joe Brady acknowledged responsibility for the wideout's struggles, but assured that he would eventually find his footing:

“I think it's a combination of sometimes there are some games where we're trying to get him going, and Josh does a good job of progressing. Next thing you know, Dalton [Kincaid] gets the catch. You always want to try to get certain guys involved, but you also don't want to just force throws. I think Keon is doing a much better job of his attention to detail.”

That Panthers game saw Coleman catch three passes for 30 yards - all in the second half.

Edited by Andre Castillo