Bills' Dion Dawkins Says Keon Coleman Needs to 'Grow Up' After Being Benched vs. Bucs

The Buffalo Bills benched second-year wideout Keon Coleman for Sunday's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was late to a team meeting on Friday morning.

Veteran offensive lineman Dion Dawkins addressed the situation after the victory.

"I've already spoken to him. When I spoke to Keon before, I said, 'Bro, look, don't even worry about it. Everybody goes through a different journey. Let's just say that this is the last time, and let's just move forward.' And he said, 'I'm with you.' That's all we need. Nobody's perfect, but in this league we need guys to come on. And Keon knows now he's in the hot seat, and he needs to come on and show up for us. Pats on the back are over with and it's time for him to grow up and he knows it. As an older player on the team, we've got to hold everybody accountable. And we shoot straight. We don't sugarcoat it."

Both head coach Sean McDermott and Coleman acknowledged his healthy scratch on Sunday was due to his tardiness on Friday. He had been disciplined during his rookie season as well for being late and was kept out of the first series in a Week 5 matchup against the New England Patriots for disciplinary reasons.

"It is disappointing [he was in a situation to be disciplined again], but I still believe in the young man, and we get to a certain point and I've gotta do something," McDermott told reporters. "I try and give the guys some—a kind of a strike approach. Hey, you get a chance to show your teammates that's not really who you are. And then, when it happens again, then I step in. So, I believe he will learn from it. He takes it seriously, and he will move forward in a way of growing from this, and that's the whole goal."

Coleman, to his credit, acknowledged his mistake.

"Just got to be better," he told reporters after the game. "Focus on next week."

"I mean, I knew that," he added of being inactive. "S--t, you can't keep doing it. You can't make those type of mistakes. You're a professional."

The Bills pulled out a win nonetheless, beating the Buccaneers 44-32 behind Josh Allen's 317 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through the air. He also rushed for 40 yards and three scores.

Coleman, 22, has 32 catches for 330 yards and three touchdowns this season. He has 29 catches for 556 yards and four scores last year as a rookie.