The Buffalo Bills are a few short days away from arriving for training camp in Western New York. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the preseason festivities will be diminished; the team will not hold their sessions at St. John Fisher College, their training camp location since 2000.
Nevertheless, the aim of the training camp remains the same. The organization must prepare players for the year. Camp could hold greater importance this year, as the potentially rimmed down preseason slate leaves fewer opportunities for players to impress the coaching staff.
The Bills Wire will complete a position-by-position analysis of each group on the team’s roster as we inch closer to training camp. This edition will focus on the tight end position:
Players (age)
- Dawson Knox (23: 2nd season)
- Lee Smith (32: 10th season)
- Tyler Kroft (27: 6th season)
- Tommy Sweeney (25: 2nd season)
- Nate Becker (24: 2nd season)
- Jason Croom (26: 3rd year)
2019 recap
Tyler Kroft was brought in as a free agent last year. However, his injury history was on display early, as he hurt his foot on the first day of OTAs. The Bills, without a prominent pass-catching tight end, were forced to lean on rookie Dawson Knox.
Knox ended up starting 11 games in 2019. While he’s still refining his work as a route runner, Knox demonstrated athleticism and power than can make him a matchup problem for opposing defenses. He caught 28 passes last season, good for fourth on the team. He is still developing, as there were issues with drops last year. He led the NFL with 10.
Lee Smith was primarily used as a blocker, often acting as a sixth lineman. He was guilty of some penalties, though. Kroft, when healthy, provided some help on the field. But he was off the field more than on the field, and he ended up catching only six passes on the year. Another rookie, Tommy Sweeney filled in nicely when necessary, doing a bit of everything fairly well. He won’t dazzle anyone with his athleticism, but he’s developing into a reliable depth player for the team.
Now here’s a rundown of storylines to follow in this position group:
Can Dawson Knox become a bigger problem for defenses?
Knox’s development will be a fascinating story to follow this year for the Bills. Tight ends are providing massive mismatches in the league. Can Knox move closer to the tier of difference makers at the position (see: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Darren Waller). Knox’s 28 receptions were good for 36th overall among tight ends in his rookie season.
Knox is relatively new to the position, as he shifted to tight end early in his college career. However, his speed and power have been a great starting point for developing at the position. Knox made himself known on the national stage by bowling over Cincinnati defenders on a 49-yard catch-and-run.
If Knox doesn’t show he’s capable of being a No.1 tight end, addressing that need could be on the Bills’ radar next offseason while letting Knox slip down to the No.2 spot. Kroft is a free agent after 2020.