Tag: Tight Ends

Dawson Knox on O.J. Howard: ‘It’s going to be a nightmare’ for defenses

Dawson Knox on O.J. Howard: ‘It’s going to be a nightmare’ for defenses:

Bills TE Dawson Knox had a breakout year in 2021, taking the next step many had been looking for since he was selected by Buffalo with the 96th overall pick in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss.

At 6’4 and 254 lb with 33 and 1/2 arms and 9 3/4 hands, the 25-year-old is looking to build on a campaign last season in which he broke the Bills single-season franchise record for touchdowns by a TE, finishing with nine total scoring catches on the year.

Even still, while addressing the press this week Knox made it clear he “Still got stuff to prove”.

What’s more, he spoke about one of the Bills newest additions to his position group and how they might play a role in that on-field production.

“It’s fun having guys like O.J. in the room, there’s going to be a lot of diversity, a lot of versatility with the position now”, Knox said during his media vailability.

During free agency this offseason, GM Brandon Beane added TE O.J. Howard to the depth chart behind Knox.

And the new Bills TE does offer some size.

At 27 years old, the former first-round pick in 2017 by the Bucs is 6’6 and 251 lbs with 33 and 3/4 arms and 10 hands.

“I mean he’s a freak athlete,” Knox added. “He makes me feel small, I mean the dude’s like you know 6’6, his arms are massive. Just having another weapon like that’s just gonna make us that much harder to stop, so I think he’s just going to push me to be better too I think.”

Howard’s development at the pro level may have been stifled once he saw less on-field gameplay experience behind Buffalo native Rob Gronkowski in Tampa. With the Bills focus on player development in Buffalo and a team-friendly one-year pact between them,  he will have that chance to take the next step as well.

“The better the room is as a whole, the better each individual is going to be as well,” Knox continued. “But it’s going to be fun to bring us in, run the ball some, then spread us out, get us good matchups on linebackers

Howard has the potential to compliment and offer position depth behind Knox, who has developed better movement and skills at the NFL level.

Howard can have difficulty on routes getting a jump and separation on defenders due to a lack of quickness in and out of breaks.

While he’ll be challenged to improve in those areas, one of the things that he offers the Bills offense and new OC Ken Dorsey is the ability to run more two-plus TE sets.

Per ESPN Stats & Information, the Bills ran only 100 plays with two-or-more tight ends during the 2021 season which was the lowest in the NFL.

Knox is confident Howard can be the addition that changes that.

“It’s just an extra piece that you know is going to be a nightmare to defend for defenses right? Oh yeah, we can’t wait. It’s going to be a nightmare for a lot of defenses.”

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Ravens TE Mark Andrews receives high rating in Madden NFL 23

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews received a high rating in Madden NFL 23.

Training camp is fast approaching, which means this year’s addition of Madden NFL will be released sooner rather than later. Ahead of its release date, every year the video game franchise will spend days dropping the overall ratings of players throughout the league.

On Monday, the initial ratings were revealed for wide receivers and tight ends. No Ravens’ wide receiver made the video game franchise’s top 10 list. However when it came to tight ends, a fan-favorite in Baltimore was ranked as a top-three tight end.

Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews received a 93 overall ranking, good for the No. 3 spot at his position. Andrews moved up one spot from last year, when he was the No. 4 tight end in the game, swapping with former Ravens’ and current Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

A big portion of why Andrews is ranked highly in Madden is because of certain individual ratings. The tight end has a 98 awareness, 95 catch, 90 acceleration and 86 speed. His “spectacular catch” and “catch in traffic” rating are both an 89. Tight ends Travis Kelce (98) and George Kittle (97) were the two tight ends ranked ahead of Andrews.

Andrews is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and his play on the field since he has entered the league in 2018 backs that up. Through his first four seasons, Andrews notched 263 receptions for 3,466 yards and 29 touchdowns on 389 targets. Andrews was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl and was a First-Team AP All-Pro in 2021.

Ranking the AFC West tight ends

Ranking the AFC West Tight Ends heading into the 2022 NFL season

It’s not exactly fair to rank the AFC West as a simple 1-4 at tight end. Mainly because there are two of the top tight ends in the entire NFL sharing the division and a sizable gap after that. But that’s just the reality of things.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Starter: Travis Kelce

Kelce has been the best tight end in football over the past six seasons now and has shown no signs of slowing down. It’s been seven years since he even had less than 1000 yards in a season. And a season ago, he was a unanimous All-Pro with over 1400 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.

2. Las Vegas Raiders

Starter: Darren Waller

In most divisions in football, Waller would stand atop the tight end rankings. But sharing a division with Kelce unfortunately keeps him in the backseat. Not that the Raiders are complaining at all. Waller is one of the top weapons at any position in the league.

A year ago, Waller set a new single-season franchise record with 107 catches. He is a mismatch for any linebacker and gives safeties all they can handle. This opens things up for everyone else even when he doesn’t get the ball.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

Starter: Gerald Everett

On the plus side, Everett has seen his numbers improve each of his five seasons in the NFL. On the negative side, he that has brought him to a career-high 478 yards. At 27 years old, he should be still in his prime, so he could very well put up very good numbers for the Chargers. I would have said a change of scenery, but he came over from the Rams so he’ll be calling the same stadium home.

4. Denver Broncos

Starter: Albert Okwuegbunam

A fourth-round pick a couple of years ago, he will have a shot to be the full-time starter this season after six starts in 2021. The team also added Greg Dulcich who they selected in the third round of this year’s draft to compete for reps.

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PFF: Bills’ Dawson Knox a ‘Tier 3’ tight end

PFF: #Bills’ Dawson Knox a ‘Tier 3’ tight end:

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Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox was ranked as the 12th-best player at his position by Pro Football Focus. The rankings, which examined the top 15 tight ends in the league, were broken into different tiers.

Knox was placed in 3three, falling into the “best of the rest” category as described by the football analytics outlet.

Here’s how PFF viewed Knox:

No quarterback found more success targeting a tight end than Josh Allen with Dawson Knox in 2021. That connection garnered a 130.5 passer rating last season, the highest of any QB-TE duo for the year. The 6-foot-4, 254-pound Knox thrived downfield with six touchdowns over 10 yards downfield in regular-season action (second-most among tight ends). And Knox did that despite suffering a broken hand midway through the season, an injury that kept him out a handful of games. While his ceiling is in question and there’s reason to believe some of his 2021 production numbers could regress in 2022, Knox brings a well-rounded athletic profile and a known floor to the table.

Knox set career bests with 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards, and nine touchdown reception in 2021. The combination of Knox’s growth and the Bills’ explosive offensive puts him on the radar for breakout candidates in 2022.

Knox was the second-best tight end in this AFC from this list, falling behind the New England Patriots’ Hunter Henry, who was slotted in 10th place.

The rankings were calculated using a variety of factors, including wins above replacement and PFF’s play-by-play grading system.

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Ravens TE Mark Andrews ranked as one of the best at his position by Pro Football Focus

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was ranked as one the best players at his position by Pro Football Focus

The Baltimore Ravens have been gifted with numerous talented players at the tight end position over their 26-year-history. From Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta to Nick Boyle and Mark Andrews, the team has been able to identify great talent at the position and it shows.

When ranking the best NFL tight ends, Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus had high praise for Andrews. He used a three-tier system that had the best players as “elite”, followed by players with “tier 1 capabilities, but either lack consistency or have slipped”, and finally “the best of the rest”.

Andrews was placed in the elite category by Treash, and was behind just three other players at the position in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller. When explaining why Andrews was in the elite category, Treash acknowledged the tight end is the go-to option for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“Andrews took his game to another level in 2021 and became even more of the go-to option for quarterback Lamar Jackson. He posted a career-high 91.5 PFF grade in 2021, the highest among tight ends. The 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end boasts top-tier ball skills, provides a physical element as a receiver and makes difficult grabs over the middle in traffic look routine. Andrews ranked top five at the position in drop rate (2.6%) and contested catch rate (60%, 18-of-30) while producing more 15-plus yard receptions than any other tight end in the NFL (33). He’s essentially a big slot in the Ravens’ offense, as he played over 50% of his snaps on the inside. And Andrews isn’t a slouch when blocking inline, either, ranking third among tight ends in run-blocking grade for 2021.”

It’s no surprise Andrews received some love from PFF, as the tight end is one of the best at his position. Andrews has been selected to two Pro Bowls and also was awarded 2021 First-Team All-Pro honors. Through his first four seasons, the tight end has caught 263 passes for 3,466 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.

Noah Fant sees endless options for tight ends in Seahawks offense

Noah Fant sees endless options for tight ends in the Seattle Seahawks offense, which he believes is favorable to the position.

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Noah Fant came to Seattle this offseason with Drew Lock in the trade that sent quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks immediately picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract which sent a message to the young tight end.

Now, having been with the team for over a month, Fant has gotten a better idea of how Seattle utilizes the tight ends on the roster and he likes what he sees.

“I like the way we get passing concepts down the field,” Fant told reporters during his press conference last week. “The run game, obviously it’s going to be all built off the run game, which is a huge part of the game. Obviously, the play-action is going to be huge. So it’s a very balanced offense, which I like, and it’s very favorable to the tight end. So it’s nice.”

Fant was originally selected by the Broncos out of Iowa in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Now with a new team for the first time in his career, he hopes to capitalize on the opportunity which is so advantageous to his playing syle.

“Like I was saying before, it’s definitely an offense that’s favorable to the tight end, making life a little bit easier, making sure you know where you fit conceptually,” Fant expalined. “Like I said, being able to move around within the offense. That’s where it kind of gets a little bit touchy is like you have to know what you’re doing. You have to know conceptually of what’s going on.

“But once you get that down, the options are endless of what you can do, which is exactly what I want to be in.”

Fant and the rest of the Seahawks are set to kick off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

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Pro Football Focus reinforces why Notre Dame TE Mayer is one of the best in the country

Not surprising here

We all know that Irish tight end Michael Mayer is awesome, but sometimes we don’t really realized how great he actually has been in his first two seasons with Notre Dame. “Baby Gronk” has caught 113 balls for 1,290-yards and 9 touchdowns in his Notre Dame career.

What you might not have known though is that Mayer’s exploits have been among the best in the country, shocking we know. Pro Football Focus put his greatness into national context with this tweet, showing everyone that Mayer is tied for the nation’s lead with those 113 catches among active tight ends at the FBS level.

There is some bad news that comes with this, it’s the realization that most likely Mayer if off to the NFL after this year. The rising-junior is already viewed as one of the top draft prospects at his position and that is most likely not going to change after this fall.

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Bears 2022 NFL Draft preview: Where does Chicago stand at tight end?

We’re breaking down each position ahead of the 2022 NFL draft. Next up is TE, which may not be as big of a priority during the draft.

The Chicago Bears are coming off a disappointing 2021 season that ushered in the start of a new era with general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. The hope is this Ryan-Matt duo will be able to guide the Bears  back to relevance.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, Poles still has plenty of work to do with the current roster, which features some glaring holes at positions of need. Positions like wide receiver, offensive line and defensive back remain huge concerns.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2022 NFL draft. It’s time to look at tight ends, a position that was bolstered last week and may not be as big of a priority during the draft.

Chiefs TEs coach Tom Melvin, WRs coach Joe Bleymaier ran drills at combine

Two members of the #Chiefs coaching staff got a close look at prospects at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs had two members of the coaching staff getting a close look at two different position groups during the on-field workouts at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.

First up, Chiefs TE coach Tom Melvin was one of several NFL staff members down on the field helping run the various drills that tight ends went through. He was spotted on the field for various route-running and receiving drills, but had a key role in running the “gauntlet” drill.

The “gauntlet” is a catching drill that requires players to catch seven passes, each coming from different points of the field. It takes a combination of focus and athleticism to go through the drill successfully, but it’s also one of the more enjoyable drills to watch at the combine too.

You can see Melvin helping the players get set before the drill begins above.

It’s not uncommon that the Chiefs and other NFL teams have coaches on the field to help with these drills. It doesn’t always happen every year, though. In the past, we’ve seen coaches like former WRs coach Greg Lewis and OL coach Andy Heck on the field for drills.

Later, Chiefs WRs coach Joe Bleymaier was spotted on the field coaching up the multiple groups of receivers before they ran routes vs. air. It appeared that he was coaching them up specifically on in-breaking routes.

It’s notable that Melvin was getting a closer look at the tight ends in this class because many consider the position to be one of the deeper groups in the 2022 class. It’s also notable that Bleymaier was out there getting a close look at receivers, specifically coaching guys up on those in-breaking routes. Perhaps the team is looking for a receiver in the draft who specializes in the intermediate, middle-of-the-field stuff. It’s certainly food for thought.

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Jaguars positional needs and 2021 review: Tight Ends

The Jags got some surprising production from Dan Arnold, but the tight end spot still needs some work.

The tight end position was one many expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to address in the offseason last year. Whether that meant targeting a free agent or taking a player in the first two days of the draft, it was clear the team needed to revamp the position.

Neither of those possibilities ultimately played out, though. The team didn’t do much to address the tight end spot until Week 4 of the regular season, when it dealt cornerback C.J. Henderson to the Carolina Panthers and got tight end Dan Arnold in return.

But that was the only major addition all of last season, and heading into 2022, it seems unlikely that the Jags make the same mistake at what is quickly evolving into one of the most important positions in the modern game.

Here’s how the tight ends looked in 2021 and the outlook at the spot moving forward.