\n Posted on: April 1, 2026, 02:49h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: April 1, 2026, 02:49h.\n <\/p>
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- Stevie Johnson sees \u201cYear 3\u201d breakout coming for Bills WR Keon Coleman<\/strong><\/li>
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- Former Bills star mentoring Coleman to refine route-running and football IQ<\/strong><\/li> \n
- Johnson says D.J. Moore addition boosts offense but energy will be key<\/strong><\/li> \n<\/ul> \n<\/li> \n<\/ul>\n\n\n
Stevie Johnson still marvels at the size and speed combination of Bills third-year wide receiver Keon Coleman. <\/span>\u201cA 6-foot-5 Hercules,\u201d Johnson told Casino.org in an exclusive interview.<\/span><\/p>\n
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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK \u2013 SEPTEMBER 18: Stevie Johnson reacts during the first quarter of the NFL 2025 game between Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Despite his athletic profile, breakout success has thus far eluded Buffalo\u2019s 2024 second-round pick, and there was quite the commotion in January when owner Terry Pegula said GM Brandon Beane was not responsible for drafting him.<\/span><\/p>\n
While there is in-house pessimism, Johnson is adamant Coleman can become a star, and he\u2019s here to help.<\/span> The three-time 1,000-yard receiver made his mark in the NFL as a route-running savant, and Johnson said he has been in contact with Coleman this offseason about the technical aspects of the position.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t had a conversation with him his first two seasons, until after last year,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI get it now. It all makes sense to me. I\u2019d be like, \u2018If only he would do this, on this type of route.\u2019 After talking to him, he didn\u2019t know that. Now I feel like it\u2019s all going to slow down for him.\u201d<\/span> Johnson said Coleman, who played both basketball and football in college and entered the NFL as a raw prospect, didn\u2019t have much of a plan against defensive backs his first two years.<\/span> \u201cI reached out and really picked his mind,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI realized he was still learning the game. He was only utilizing juke moves to get open, as opposed to understanding what the DBs are seeing when they line up against him. So it\u2019s not necessarily about the juke move. It\u2019s about imposing your dominance in their area and then controlling them. They\u2019re all going to react to you, and then it\u2019s about utilizing different moves to set up their reactions, so you can counter.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cWe just dove into it, and within his responses, I understood why in goal-line last year they didn\u2019t want to really throw it to you as much, because you were telegraphing your route.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Coleman had 29 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie, but his production dropped to 38 catches, 404 yards and four touchdowns last season.<\/span> He was a healthy scratch for four games and had more maturity issues surface. Johnson said the lack of veteran leadership in the wide receiver room contributed to the missteps.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI had Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed, Felton Huggins, Justin Jenkins,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI had five people that were veterans already in the league that I could bounce things off of. Keon came in with Mack Hollins and all guys who were basically trying to break into being a player in the league. They\u2019re trying to find their way and now you\u2019ve got this kid coming in.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cNot setting the alarm clock, talking a little bit, that\u2019s the youth in him. And that\u2019s not having a person in the room to say, \u2018Hey, chill,\u2019 like I had.\u201d<\/span> Johnson thinks it\u2019s far too early to close the book on Coleman.<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson himself only had 112 receiving yards over the first two seasons of his career and then became the go-to guy in Buffalo. Andre Reed had a big statistical jump in Year 3 and made seven straight Pro Bowls beginning in Year 4.<\/span> \u201cHe\u2019s going to be able to soak all this up, and it\u2019s going to come together for him,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cYear 3 is usually that time. Andre Reed took off in Year 3. I did. And I feel like it\u2019s going to happen for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson: D.J. Moore must keep energy up with Bills<\/span><\/h2>\n
Despite the hefty price tag of a second-round pick, Johnson liked the addition of veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore this offseason.<\/span> Johnson said his presence will help the other skill players on the field.<\/span> \u201cHe\u2019s a proven playmaker,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got every tool. When you watch his film, you don\u2019t see a lot of guys press him, because he\u2019s already been established in the league to beat the press. So you see a lot of off-coverage, which is going to help Josh (Allen) pick apart a defense. There is so much D.J. Moore will open up for these other guys because of the attention that D.J. Moore brings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson does have one concern: he doesn\u2019t want Moore to mope if he doesn\u2019t get a certain number of targets or receptions per game.<\/span> \u201cSomething to watch for with D.J. Moore is his energy,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to come to a team that doesn\u2019t necessarily need a wide receiver they need to go to, considering you have Josh and James Cook. You\u2019ve got a brilliant mind in (Joe) Brady who can move the ball up and down the field without a playmaker, as we saw last season.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cHis energy will need to remain at an elite level, a leader level, as opposed to, \u2018I\u2019m not getting 60 catches.\u2019 He\u2019s got to watch his energy, because that\u2019s one thing I noticed from him when he wasn\u2019t involved. Great pickup, but that\u2019s definitely something to keep an eye on for team purposes when things aren\u2019t going his way.\u201d<\/span> Johnson said it\u2019s a role he had to accept as his career moved along. <\/span><\/p>\n
He went from the No. 1 receiver in Buffalo to a complementary piece in San Francisco and San Diego his final two seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why I can speak on it,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI would never call out a guy on his behavior, especially on a team I support, but I\u2019ve got to keep it real from the perspective I\u2019m in as an analyst now. When you don\u2019t get those looks, in your head it\u2019s like, \u2018Why did you bring me here?\u2019 It\u2019s in your head. For everybody, it happens.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cBut the culture that\u2019s been built in Buffalo, it should be strong enough to keep him focused. In other places, the culture is not the same. That\u2019s the benefit of D.J. Moore coming to Buffalo. He\u2019s coming to a culture that\u2019s community-driven and together. We\u2019ll see if he\u2019s strong enough to overcome those times when everybody ain\u2019t eating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson: Bills will be a more aggressive team under Joe Brady<\/span><\/h2>\n
Johnson foresees a mentality shift now that Joe Brady has taken over as the head coach.\u00a0<\/span> He categorized Sean McDermott as an old school coach who relied on a conservative approach because of his defensive roots.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cJoe Brady is not going to be reckless, but he\u2019s going to be more aggressive in ways where the offense may open up more for Josh Allen and the playmakers,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe offense in the past was very calculated. It was based on being a conservative team, and I think Joe Brady is going to bring that dog mentality on both sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson said there will be no one holding back Brady and Allen this season.<\/span> \u201cThere is no extra voice, no other level to talk to,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s just Joe and Josh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson: Brandon Aiyuk hasn\u2019t found right mentor<\/span><\/h2>\n
Johnson was glad to give Coleman some advice, and would be happy to connect with Brandon Aiyuk as well. An ex-teammate of Johnson\u2019s told Aiyuk to message him but it hasn\u2019t happened.<\/span> Aiyuk\u2019s relationship with the 49ers has been tense for years and the star receiver left the team during ACL rehab last season. He is expected to get released at some point this offseason.<\/span> \u201cI reached out to Keon,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cI tagged him (on social media), but he didn\u2019t see it. It took a (mutual) guy to have us connect. So sometimes it\u2019s just having the right people around you. Keon did, and we ended up connecting. As for Aiyuk, never met him, never spoke to him. One of my former teammates was telling him about me and to connect, but it didn\u2019t really go through.\u201d<\/span> Johnson, who played for the 49ers in 2014, passed along the advice he would give to Aiyuk as he aims to re-start a once-promising career.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cKeep the friends you\u2019ve got, because it\u2019s hard to say, \u2018I\u2019m done with y\u2019all,\u2019 but I would direct my friendship group during the season to be very intentional,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHave your trainer, your chef, your body therapist, your barber. If you\u2019ve got kids, have them around, but make it intentional for those eight months. That\u2019s where you start.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cHe\u2019s got the talent to play the game, but it\u2019s the decision-making. Sometimes we be trippin\u2019 as players. We\u2019re getting paid. We know we\u2019re getting a check every week and we\u2019re on TV. We feel like we\u2019re everything, and anything we think should work. But that\u2019s not really true. You need to have that mentor.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he had the strength in his circle to help him with certain decisions. My advice would be to find the right people around you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
The 49ers have pivoted at wide receiver, signing veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.<\/span> Johnson said adding Kirk in the slot is going to be a major boon for San Francisco.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cIf you watch film on Kirk, he\u2019s a playmaker,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cYou target him and he\u2019s going to make the plays. He can get space. He\u2019s open on third downs. I\u2019ve seen him dissect our Bills defense. If you\u2019re playing off-coverage, you may as well just give up the first down because Kirk is going to find it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Johnson: Keenan Allen was misused last season<\/span><\/h2>\n
Johnson played alongside a young Keenan Allen in 2015 with the Chargers, and said it\u2019s no surprise his game has aged gracefully.<\/span> Both wide receivers are well known for their standout route-running and technical abilities.<\/span> \u201cKeenan was a student of the game,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHe was always on his iPad or asking other receivers what they were thinking. He wasn\u2019t necessarily a space creator type. He was more of a technician, like Jerry Rice. Then he added some of those moves in because he was such a student of the game, to mix up his route combinations. I knew he was special.\u201d<\/span> The 33-year-old had 81 catches for 777 yards and four touchdowns last year with Los Angeles.<\/span> \u201cHe\u2019s a cheat code, an easy button,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows the holes and he\u2019s seen every defense. That\u2019s why he can get over 700 yards at 33. And beyond.\u201d<\/span> Johnson thinks Allen would have been even more productive with a different offensive coordinator at the helm.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cGreg Roman isn\u2019t pass-heavy,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t even utilize Keenan correctly, I would say. I\u2019ve been in a Greg Roman offense. Keenan should\u2019ve had over 1,000 yards and they should have dominated that playoff game. They were doing a lot of extra other stuff.\u201d<\/span> He believes Allen, a free agent, will be enticed by the switch to Mike McDaniel as the play-caller.<\/span> Johnson expects Allen to ultimately end up either re-signing with the Chargers or go to the Rams so he can stay in Los Angeles.<\/span> \u201cHe loves L.A., so I could see him staying with Mike McDaniel, a smart offensive mind,\u201d Johnson said. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cBut I also think he\u2019s connected with Davante (Adams). I don\u2019t think he\u2019d mind going to the Rams, playing with them for a year and possibly getting to the Super Bowl, still in L.A.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\r\n
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- Former Bills star mentoring Coleman to refine route-running and football IQ<\/strong><\/li> \n
- Stevie Johnson sees \u201cYear 3\u201d breakout coming for Bills WR Keon Coleman<\/strong><\/li>
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