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Buffalo Bills 2020 roster analysis and look ahead on the tight end position.
The Buffalo Bills had an excellent 2020 season as a team, but position-by-position is a different story. Some were certainly better than others and as the offseason is now in full swing, Bills Wire will give a quick analysis of the team’s current roster by reflecting on the season that was and looking ahead to 2021.
First up, here is our breakdown on the team’s tight end unit:
TE Lee Smith of the Buffalo Bills on potentially retiring following the 2020 NFL season.
The Bills could see some changes at tight end this offseason.
While the default name for many to associate the position with is Dawson Knox, change might actually begin with Lee Smith.
Smith, 33, recently said he is contemplating retiring. The Tennessee native recently joined the Nashville radio show JMart and Ramon on 1045 The Zone and he referenced hanging ’em up on a couple of occasions.
“You’ve been there, Ramon. You get to the latter part of your career and you really start wrestling with yourself mentally,” Smith said to Ramon Foster, a former Steelers player. “Because it’s not just those 16 games, it’s the other 350 days a year… the grind of being the best and giving your teammates the best version of yourself. So I think here the last couple of years I’ve really wanted to make sure I was all in before I step back in that building.”
Later on, Smith reflected on the Bills’ loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. He said others in Buffalo’s locker room said sorry to him after it because of their belief that it might have been his final game.
“A lot of the guys apologized to me. From coaches to other players, especially the young guys, just in case I do decide to shut it down here after this year,” Smith said.
Having said that, if Smith does wrap things up, he has no regrets.
“Here in Year 10 we’re a game away from the big dance, so it was some absolute blast,” Smith said.
Smith started his career with the Bills after the New England Patriots drafted him and then cut him. That tenure went from 2011-2014 and then he skipped town to the Oakland Raiders before returning to Buffalo in 2019.
Smith, mentioning Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, said he knows the team mostly wanted him for his leadership abilities. On the field, Smith was known more as a blocker and only hauled in four passes in 2020. However, two did go for touchdowns.
Smith said he plans to have a discussion over the next couple months with Beane in terms of what he decides. While Smith’s own decision weighs heavy here, there’s a few other sides to consider.
At his end of season press conference, the GM himself did mention he would like to get more production out of the Bills’ tight end unit next season.
“I thought it was up and down,” Beane said on the unit in general. “We just never really got position… at the end of the year I thought we did a little bit, Dawson started to get his groove a little bit, but it was never where the opposing defense was like, ‘Man we’ve really got to stop their tight ends from going off.’”
In addition, the 2021 salary cap in the NFL is a pretty wild scenario right now. It could drop to as low as $175 million due to COVID-19 causing the league financial struggles.
That final number has yet to be decided, but if it does hit the “floor” of $175M then the Bills would be approximately $6M over the cap… and if that happened, Smith is a big salary cap casualty to consider. Per Spotrac, he carries a $2.25M cap hit in 2021 with no dead cap hit, so if released, that full number would come off of Buffalo’s books.
Smith is now certainly a name to monitor over the next several weeks when the salary cap and free agency start to inch closer… whether in regard to being a cap casualty or if he decides to retire,
Finally, the 10-year vet also had a nice thought in terms of feeling lucky with the route he took in the NFL… especially in terms of quarterbacks.
“I look throughout my career and I started with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who… anyone who ever says they don’t love Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to look in the mirror real hard… and then I get to finish my career with Josh Allen for the same team 10 years later? It’s just wild, man,” Smith said.
Loves him some Bills QBs.
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Bills quarterback Josh Allen was on fire against the Patriots, but he had help from Brian Daboll, his brilliant offensive coordinator.
The last time we saw Bills quarterback Josh Allen before the 2020 season, the then-second-year man from Wyoming was barfing all over himself in a wild-card loss to the Texans. The development from then to now is absolutely startling. Allen started the 2020 season ripping man coverage to bits, then had a couple weeks where he struggled against zone coverage and late coverage switches, and then he figured that out and became a legitimate MVP candidate.
Against the Patriots in a 38-9 Week 16 win, Allen was absolutely incendiary, completing 27 of 36 passes for 327 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions, adding 35 rushing yards on four attempts for good measure. As much as anyone else on the team, Allen has become a reason you don’t want any part of the Bills in the playoffs, and his relationship with receiver Stefon Diggs (who burned top-tier Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson for two touchdowns) has become Must-See TV.
What J.C. Jackson learned from Stefon Diggs: ‘You’ve got to almost be perfect’
Diggs caught three of Allen’s four touchdown targets, but for the purposes of Allen’s development, let’s focus on the four-yard touchdown pass Allen threw to tight end Lee Smith with 5:32 left in the first half. One of the reasons Allen has come so far so fast recently is the efforts of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has done a brilliant job in scheming Allen to success in all kinds of ways. Allen had better enjoy Daboll while he can, because Daboll is probably going to be an NFL head coach in the next month or so.
To praise Daboll is not to minimize Allen’s efforts — on the contrary, when a coach wants to install an advanced passing offense, he has to have a total mental buy-in from his quarterback, or none of the playbook matters. And on Smith’s touchdown, you saw how Allen is now able to influence a defense with pre-snap motion and run perception.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky made me aware of the nuances of this play, so let’s start there.
Daboll continues to coach well…little things @BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/75pgl487Nk
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 29, 2020
Great breakdown from Dan as usual, and I’ll add a few points.
First, you could imagine Daboll holding this concept in his quiver until he got the right matchup. If this was one or both of the McCourty brothers as the pointmen, maybe this doesn’t happen, as Devin and Jason McCourty have been around the block enough in this defense to know what’s up. But the “sucker” to the front side here — the guy Allen has to convince that a run is coming — is rookie safety Kyle Dugger. Dugger is a good player, but he’s still learning the nuances of NFL defense, and specially NFL defense in the red zone. And the backside guy who gets fooled is veteran safety Adrian Phillips — a smart player, but a player in his first year with the Patriots after six years in the Chargers’ zone-heavier schemes. Experience matters.
Second, there’s more to this play than just the run fake and all its accouterments. The Bills run crossers with receiver Gabe Davis from the left side, and tight end Dawson Knox from the right side, to congest the middle of the field. With that, Allen has Diggs to the front side against Jackson, and Smith to the back side with a cow pasture around him. Either way Allen decides to go, it’s a walk-in touchdown. The Bills simply overwhelmed New England with numbers, confusion, and spacing, and any time you can out-coach a Bill Belichick defense, it’s time for a refreshing beverage.
At 12-3, and with a tough matchup against the vastly improved Dolphins defense in their regular-season finale, the Bills then head into the postseason as perhaps the one NFL team without a major discernible flaw. Allen’s development — and his alliance with Daboll — could put this team over the top when it matters the most.
Josh Allen found blocking tight end Lee Smith for a Buffalo Bills touchdown
The Buffalo Bills have given Josh Allen tons of options. When accounting for them, Lee Smith probably wouldn’t make the list.
That’s why the New England Patriots forgot to cover the veteran tight end in the second quarter and Josh Allen found him for a 4-yard touchdown pass that gave the Bills a 17-9 lead after the PAT.
Allen finds a wide open Lee Smith for another @BuffaloBills score! #BillsMafia
📺: #BUFvsNE on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/6WedbVfBEK pic.twitter.com/QnQYH2pjwo— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2020
Smith has three catches this season for 8 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On his career, which is in its second run with the Bills, Smith has 63 catches, 10 that have gone for touchdowns. Smith has 27 catches with the Bills, six that have gone for six points.
Bill Belichick liked what he saw of Smith in 2011. The tight end was drafted out of Marshall in the fifth round by the Patriots, 159th overall.
Buffalo Bills TE Lee Smith touchdown catch vs. Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Nobody was more excited than Jon Feliciano when Lee Smith caught a touchdown pass for the Bills.
In the second quarter in Week 16 against the Patriots on Monday Night Football, the tight end caught a score along the goal line from quarterback Josh Allen. After doing so, Feliciano didn’t just celebrate… he ran over to Smith and just bowled him over after Buffalo went up 17-9 on the scoreboard.
Nice form by the offensive lineman, though.
Check out the touchdown pass and celebration here:
Wide. Open.
📺 #BUFvsNE: https://t.co/06mt3vGXF6 pic.twitter.com/pYidqiJq6k
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 29, 2020
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Four former teammates with the Buffalo Bills got together on a virtual call prior to Bills-Rams in Week 3.
A lot has changed around One Bills Drive since wide receiver Robert Woods was a member of the Buffalo football team. Woods returned to Orchard Park this weekend with the Los Angeles Rams in a game that ended up being nothing short of an emotional roller coaster for both sides.
The Bills ended up winning 35-32.
In terms of familiar faces, there really weren’t many that Woods knew of. Among the players still on the Bills from when Woods was, there’s tight end Lee Smith.
As things go in the NFL, guys are still friends even if business takes them in another direction, like Woods going to the Rams. Prior to kickoff on Sunday, it looks like Woods and Smith linked up and said hello on the field at Bills Stadium, but they included a couple of other former teammates that weren’t at the games as well.
Former Bills quarterback EJ Manuel took to his social media account on Instagram and shared a fun photo. Manuel, Smith, Woods and another former Bills wide receiver, Marquise Goodwin, all evidently jumped onto a video call and had a pre-game chat while Smith and Woods were actually on the field together.
Manuel’s post said Woods called it a “homecoming” for the crew.
Check out Manuel’s story post via Bills Wire’s Bradley Gelber below:
A (virtual) reunion for Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and EJ Manuel in Buffalo yesterday. pic.twitter.com/ZpZLRZM2iK
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) September 28, 2020
Maybe the reunion, of sorts, helped out the guys who played in the game too? Smith, inactive for the first two games of the season, played, and only played one snap… and he scored on the play. Meanwhile Woods hauled in five of his six targets for 74 yards and had a touchdown.
Currently Manuel is not on an NFL roster, but Goodwin will be with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, at least. After being traded to Philly this offseason, Goodwin decided to opt out of the season due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
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2020 Buffalo Bills training camp preview: tight ends
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:
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:
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.
The Buffalo Bills have reportedly re-signed tight end Jason Croom.
The Buffalo Bills have reportedly re-signed tight end Jason Croom, per ESPN’s Field Yates. Croom was an exclusive-rights free agent for the Bills:
The Bills have re-signed TE Jason Croom to a one-year deal. He spent 2019 on IR after leading Bills’ TE in catches and yards in 2018. A potential depth option in Buffalo.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 14, 2020
Croom suffered a hamstring injury last summer, and it plagued him throughout training camp, ultimately landing him in injured reserved for the 2019 season.
Croom had 22 receptions for 259 receiving yards and one touchdown reception in 2018, leading all Bills tight ends.
He will compete within a crowded tight end room. Incumbents Tyler Kroft, Dawson Knox, Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney, and Nate Becker are all under contract for next season. The Bills were in the market for a new tight end via Greg Olsen, but the former Panther signed with the Seahawks instead of the Bills earlier this offseason. In wake of his decision, the Bills appear to be rolling things back with the same crew from last season, as Kroft restructured his contract on Friday as well.
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Here’s how the Bills look at tight end entering the 2020 offseason.
Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the tight ends, including the season that was and projecting forward:
The Buffalo Bills made a minor splash during last year’s free agency period by signing former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft. The team bolstered the position by drafting Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney in the draft after that move.
Things did not go swimmingly for Kroft, as he missed substantial time with a foot injury. Thus, Knox and Sweeney were thrust into duty earlier than anticipated. Both showed solid physical ability, especially as a part of the aerial attack. Knox ended the season with 28 receptions, good for fourth on the roster. Sweeney added eight catches in limited duty.
Kroft only reeled in six catches on the season, one of which was a touchdown. He was signed to give quarterback Josh Allen another reliable option in the intermediate passing game. Unfortunately, injuries and the emergence of Knox limited Kroft’s impact on the field.
Lee Smith acted as the sixth offensive lineman at times. He provided the Bills with another big option to help with blocking. Smith, however, took eight penalties on the season, a large number for a player who saw limited snaps and whose main role was to block.
All four of the prior players are under contract for next season. Knox and Sweeney are under their rookie contracts, so their cost is quite team-friendly. Their combined cap hit for next season is about $1.5 million.
Smith is signed through 2021. His cap hit is $3.25 million next season. It seems to be a high figure for a blocking tight end, as he made more than starting guard Quinton Spain’s salary. Nevertheless, head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll see the value in having a player such as Smith on the field to help with the run game.
Which leads to Kroft. He has the potential to be a very good tight end in all facets of the game. However, injuries have limited his time on the field. In addition, he could not supplant Knox at the top of the depth chart when the veteran returned from injury. Kroft’s salary cap hit is $6.4 million. Still, the Bills could release him at a smaller dead cap hit of $1.6 million with so many bodies already in the unit.
Buffalo also has Jason Croom as an option, as he is an exclusive-rights free agent (ERFA). The Bills could bring him back into the fold to complete for a depth spot.
Knox looks to be a bigger part of the offense next year on paper. His athleticism is something the Bills have been looking for at the tight end spot. After he rumbled over multiple Cincinnati Bengals defenders in Week 3, it was apparent that the rookie could hold his own at the next leve, even if he’s a bit raw at the position. Knox also displayed solid skill as a blocker at times, making him an ideal prospect moving forward at the position. He’s the center piece here and like Josh Allen in Year 2, Knox will also have to take a step forward.
Kroft is a possible cut candidate, as the team would save about $4.8 million this year on the cap. Buffalo probably won’t be in any salary cap danger, but the price is a bit much for a player who might not earn the snaps necessary to justify the price tag.
The Bills love Smith’s physicality, even if it comes at a cost. Sweeney provides a competent depth player. He also surprised folks with his hands.
Croom could be an odd-man-out, or he could be a Kroft replacement. His status is up-in-the-air after missing last season due to injury.
The Bills could stand to find a tight end in the draft. With several teams in the league finding mismatches with their tight ends against opposing secondaries, Buffalo may look to follow suit if the opportunity presents itself. It’s simply tough to predict if the Bills will do something at the position because of their heavy depth at the group, although with them lacking a bit in talent, it’s possible. Certainly not the highest of needs because of Knox’s potential, though.
Note: All cap figures are reported from Spotrac’s web site.
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List of Buffalo Bills players connected to former GM Doug Whaley after 2019 season.
With 2019 NFL season in the books, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have officially been at the helm for three seasons.
That’s three seasons of drafting, signing free agents and letting players formerly associated with the team’s former front office, led by general manager Doug Whaley, go.
With the current on-goings of the Bills, here’s the latest update on the Bills’ diminishing connections to Whaley, former head coach Rex Ryan, and the team’s past here:
Following the 2019 season, linebacker, special teamer and team leader Lorenzo Alexander announced his retirement. The 36-year-old signed with the Bills to play special teams in April 2016, but due to injury saw a huge role with the team’s defense and earned a Pro Bowl nod with 12.5 sacks that year. In his Bills career, Alexander played 64 games, recording 274 tackles, 24 sacks and three interceptions. His leadership is what made him most appealing to the team’s current front office.
