Tyler Kroft came out of nowhere for the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Kroft had four catches for 24 yards on five targets from quarterback Josh Allen in the 35-32 win. That alone is the best production the Bills have got out of their tight end position this season.
But factor in two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the dying seconds? It’s the best game by any Bills tight end in… a very, very long time and after Kroft struggled during his first season with the Bills in 2019, there were some emotions in the Bills locker room after the win.
Among his teammates, wide receiver Cole Beasley and offensive lineman Mitch Morse both admitted via video conference following the win that they got emotional seeing Kroft deliver.
“You talk about Tyler Kroft, you talk about one hell of a dude,” Morse said to WROC-TV. “A guy who… kind of had a B.S. deal given to him the first year, with injury… And a guy who has taken everything with grace… and a guy who’s only mentality was to take it day-by-day and come be the best player he can be. And holy cow, you talk about a guy who, when he scored that touchdown? Our sideline erupted. It’s just fun. It’s fun to see him score cause he’s just the best guy.”
Naturally if the feels were felt by his teammates, Kroft himself had some thoughts in the same direction. Acknowledging his lengthy injury history in just over a season with the Bills, Kroft said he was just grateful to be given the opportunities.
“Obviously there’s emotion that’s been brought into this. Me re-breaking my foot, blowing out my other ankle, so, I mean, playing on two bad feet last year, there’s just a lot of stuff to overcome personally. But I’ve always been taught you come to work every day, ready to go, handle your opportunities when they come and handle your business like a pro. I’m just happy I was in a position to make a play today,” Kroft said via video conference.
The tight end also had to give a shoutout to his quarterback, too.
“We have some competitive dogs in our locker room. I can’t say enough about 17 (Josh Allen). He’s competitive as hell,” Kroft said.
Kroft’s clutch plays certainly came in handy for the Bills, who continue to get big games from players all over their lineup. Sometimes it’s a guy like Kroft, others it’s a Week 2 standout by star Stefon Diggs. Regardless, the Bills locker room continues to show it doesn’t matter to them who does it, just that it gets done.
Kroft even displayed this on Sunday, too.
The only reason the veteran tight end was put in that spot was because second-year pro Dawson Knox suffered a concussion last week against the Dolphins. Overall, Knox hasn’t exactly had the big year so far that some have hoped for with only three catches and a fumble to his name in 2020.
Still, watching his teammate from the same position group put out the heroics? Knox shared his happiness during the game on social media via Twitter. Kroft took note after the game, and gave a “love you bro” right back:
Love you bro! https://t.co/Irp9LhqKXw
— Tyler Kroft (@Kroft86) September 27, 2020
The comradery the Bills have built in their locker room continues to shine and it came in handy on the field in the dying seconds, didn’t it?
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