Bills' Second-Year Player Tabs 3 Breakout Teammates
Bills' Second-Year Player Tabs 3 Breakout Teammates originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Buffalo Bills' defensive end Javon Solomon has quickly earned himself a reputation as a great locker room presence. The 2024 fifth-round draft pick played 14 games for the Bills last season, primarily on special teams, with 134 snaps on defense. Solomon forced and recovered a fumble, had six quarterback hits, two sacks, and three tackles for loss in those snaps.
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Solomon has high hopes for his fellow draft classmates, three of whom dealt with injuries last season. Solomon thinks all three are ready to make an impact.
"I think my class, first of all, is so talented. From head to toe, we're a talented group," said Solomon, the No. 168 overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft.
After June minicamp practice, Solomon appeared on One Bills Live, where he highlighted wide receiver Keon Coleman, defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and offensive tackle Dylan Grable as three players who are most likely to make a second-year leap.
"For starters, I think Keon has shown a lot," said Solomon.
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Coleman was the No. 33 overall selection. He dealt with a mid-season wrist injury and received harsh criticism for his performance upon returning from injury. The 6-foot-4 deep threat has bulked up heading into his second NFL season. Coleman even drew praise from his quarterback, Josh Allen.
"All I can say is he is 100% taking this seriously. He's bigger right now. He's faster. He's stronger. He understands the playbook better," said Allen. "I think we're talking more, we're still conversing about how we can be better, where certain balls will be thrown. But again, he's a stud, and I've said this for a long time. That's why I wanted him,"
Coleman averaged 19.2 yards per reception as a rookie, but just a 50.9 percent catch rate.
On the defensive side of the ball, Solomon specifically noted Carter's goals on a bounce back year.
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"Carter has really been working really hard. He got hurt last season, so he's really looking for a bounce," said Solomon.
Carter, a third round selection, suffered a wrist injury in Week 7 that required surgery and kept him out of the lineup until Week 14. In his 315 defensive snaps, Carter racked up five tackles for loss and three quarterback hits, but was inactive for the postseason.
"Even guys like Grable, [he] has been working hard even to work on his technique to excel, learning from the older guys. We got great tackles, Dion [Dawkins], Spence [Brown]. I think he's been taking the step and learning those directions," said Solomon.
Grable was the No. 204 selection in 2024, and immediately made his presence felt. The Bills liked enough of what they saw to make the rookie active on game days as the primary backup tackle, leaping Ryan Van Demark in the depth chart. An abdominal injury in Week 3 landed Grable on the Injured Reserve until December. Grable returned to action as a starter in the final game of the regular season.
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Related: James Cook's Bills RB Room Given Top-10 Ranking
Related: Bills Must Figure Out Running Back Contract Concerns
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
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