Keon Coleman's mouthguards, explained: Why Bills WR started colorful gameday tradition

Daniel Mader

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Keon Coleman's mouthguards, explained: Why Bills WR started colorful gameday tradition image

With veteran Stefon Diggs now in Houston, the Bills invested in a young wide receiver for Josh Allen in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Keon Coleman was selected in the second round by Buffalo. Alongside Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel, Coleman has been a part of a Bills wide receiver room that looks a lot different this season than it has in the past.

The rookie has been a welcomed addition to Buffalo's offense, though, as he's second on the team with 51 receiving yards through Week 2. Coleman has drawn some attention on social media from NFL fans as well for a week-by-week tradition he has with his mouthguards.

Here's what to know about Coleman's weekly mouthpiece tradition, which involves using a lot of different colors.

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Keon Coleman's mouthguards, explained

Coleman has a unique habit of wearing two mouthguards in every game, with both colors making up the opposing team's color scheme. 

It's something Coleman has done since college. He carried that habit into the NFL when he was drafted by the Bills.

But why?

Coleman has never addressed the double mouthguard issue specifically, but the best guess is that he's trolling the other team. He did something similar with his watchband colors while in college, switching them out to match the upcoming opponent's colors. When asked about it in an interview on the "All Things Covered" podcast, Coleman said it's "a little bit of trolling, but not too much."

He added that in addition to the watchbands, he also has "the mouthpiece to match it."

That doesn't necessarily explain why he wears two, but it's safe to say it's a little bit of a fashion statement mixed with a good-natured troll.

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Some fans find it to be a distraction from his play on the field, though. For example, after he was held without a catch in Buffalo's Week 2 win over the Dolphins, fans had some fun with his gameday habit.

When the Bills face the Jaguars in Week 3, look for Coleman to be wearing his usual two mouthguards, but with Jacksonville's black, gold, and teal on them this time around.

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Keon Coleman college stats

Coleman, now 21, spent three years in college, with his first two seasons coming at Michigan State and his last at Florida State.

Here's a look at Coleman's year-by-year numbers in college before becoming a target for Allen in Buffalo.

YearTeamReceptionsRec. yardsAVGTDs
2021Michigan State7507.11
2022Michigan State5879813.87
2023Florida State5065813.211

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader Photo

Daniel Mader joined Sporting News as an editorial intern in 2024 following his graduation from Penn State University. Previously, he covered Penn State, high school and local sports beats for NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. He grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.