Buffalo Bills training camp sees Tyler Kroft removed from injury report.
Oh, brother…
That’s the sentiment that went across the mind of many observers of the Bills on Monday when head coach Sean McDermott explained why tight end Tyler Kroft missed practice.
According to the coach, Kroft missed the session after having his foot stepped on. That’s the exact same thing that happened to Kroft in his first season in Buffalo in 2019. He missed big chunks of the year because of that injury … when it was stepped on in practice.
But evidently, it was more of a stubbed toe, as opposed to a stomp.
On Tuesday, various reports from Bills training camp indicated that Kroft was back out on the field. In that regard, he wasn’t alone, either.
The laundry list of those missing practice on Monday included two guys – wide receiver John Brown and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson – who had illnesses. McDermott said those were not believed to be COVID-19-related, and it appears he was correct, since both returned on Tuesday.
In terms of others returning to practice who were battling physical ailments, we saw offensive lineman Quinton Spain (foot) back out there. Running back Zack Moss no longer had on a red non-contact jersey as well.
Buffalo Bills injury report sees wide receiver Stefon Diggs return to practice.
Another day of movement in both directions for the Buffalo Bills’ injury report on Monday… but a huge bump in the arrow up category in terms of one player.
After missing a few days of practice, wide receiver Stefon Diggs returned to the field. He first missed the team’s scrimmage late last week then sat out again on Sunday. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott previously indicated that Diggs had some lower back “soreness” keeping him sidelined.
But on Monday, Diggs returned to practice. He was spotted during warmups as well:
Aside from Diggs, there was plenty of moment in the opposite direction, as referenced. Wide receiver John Brown and Quinton Jefferson are both out due to illness, however, McDermott said as of now, those are not connected to COVID-19. In terms of physical aliments, Vernon Butler (hamstring), Tyler Kroft (foot), Victor Salako (back), and Quinton Spain (foot) are new additions to the list. Per McDermott via video conference prior to practice, Kroft had his foot stepped on in practice causing his injury, the same thing that occurred to him last season.
Here’s the Bills full injury list for Monday’s practice, including carryovers from the injury report late last week which have remained the same:
Buffalo Bills 2020 53-man roster projection at the start of training camp.
The Bills are getting training camp underway at their team facility in Orchard Park. That alone signals things are different.
In a typical offseason, the Bills are getting after it in Rochester for camp. Instead, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the team is at home in OP for safety reasons. Among those measures includes waiting until later this month to get on the field and in pads for practices.
So maybe this 53-man roster projection is a bit too early, but let’s give it a crack anyway. Here’s a roster prediction for the Bills as the team gets training camp underway:
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, right, watches as quarterback Matt Barkley warms up during practice. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Quarterback (3)
Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Jake Fromm
Cuts: Davis Webb
Earlier this offseason the Bills were in a position to potentially keep two quarterbacks and cut Matt Barkley. He’s no longer really a “veteran” mentor to Allen, games played wise. Allen has 27 starts to Barkley’s seven. Cutting Barkley could also save the Bills $1.5M against the salary cap.
But that was months ago. We’ve since lost all sense of normalcy and preseason games. It would be insane for the Bills to go into a season with Jake Fromm as QB2, at least right away, considering he’ll have never played in an NFL game at all before then thanks to the cancelled exhibition games. At least Fromm has big-time college experience from Georgia, though.
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:
Buffalo Bills’ Dawson Knox reacts. (AP Photo/John Munson)
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.
Where Buffalo Bills, Dawson Knox land in Pro Football Focus’ tight end rankings.
Dawson Knox flashed as a rookie, but also struggled. That can really be used as a way to describe the team’s entire tight end room. Some good, some bad.
Which is close to the way Pro Football Focus sees the Bills tight end room heading into the 2020 season. PFF ranked the group the 20th best in the NFL recently.
Here’s the breakdown of Buffalo’s tight ends from the football analytics outlet:
Led by rookie Dawson Knox, who caught 28 passes during the regular season, the Bills got only 46 receptions from their tight ends last season — tied for 26th in the league. Knox is an athletic tight end who can move around the formation. He should have opportunities to shine in 2020 given the attention the Bills’ receivers will be getting from opposing defenses.
Tyler Kroft and Lee Smith round out the group as two of the better run-blocking tight ends in the league. Kroft is more of a receiving threat, while Smith is a glorified offensive lineman who stayed in to pass protect more often than he ran routes last season.
Each of Knox, Kroft and Smith ranked in the top 16 among tight ends in positively graded run blocks last season, making them one of the best run-blocking units in the NFL.
The Bills have never sported a modern day tight end on their roster. Never a Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce or George Kittle guy. Those are few and far between, but Buffalo’s hoping that Knox can at least come close to those players.
Again, Knox did show some good signs as a rookie. He was thrust into the No.1 role as a rookie when he wasn’t expected to. Many thought that would have been Kroft, but injury once again crept up on him. But Knox held his own. Now in 2020, the Bills need to see him show he’s fixed the elephant in the room: His drops. Knox led NFL tight ends with 10 last season. If he does that, it’s going to go a long way for the team and himself.
Knox needs to show he’s got true, No.1 potential. If not, could tight end be at the top of the Bills’ list of needs heading into 2021? It’s possible.
But if there’s one reason for not needing to rush it, it’s that the AFC East really doesn’t have a dominant tight end in it on any team. All four units ranked in the bottom half of PFF’s rankings. The Jets led the pack only at 17, while the Dolphins landed at 23 and the Pats are still reeling from the loss of Gronk, slotting in at 30th.
Bleacher Report ranks Buffalo Bills wide receivers the 11th best in NFL.,
Bleacher Report power ranked the NFL’s pass catchers for each team and while the Buffalo Bills have a much-improved group from a year ago, their unit slots in at No. 11 overall.
Stefon Diggs joins the Bills and will jump right to the top of this unit. A proven 1,000-yard receiver himself in recent seasons, he pushes fellow 2019 1,000-yard receiver, John Brown, to a No. 2 role while Cole Beasley still sits in the slot among the league’s best there.
But here’s B/R’s breakdown of why the Bills land outside the top-10:
At No. 11, the Buffalo Bills received a huge boost from Stefon Diggs’ arrival, propelling them over the Cincinnati Bengals. Diggs is on the rise while AJ Green trends in the wrong direction because of his recent injuries.
Furthermore, Cole Beasley deserves consideration as one of the top slot receivers in the league, registering 386 receptions for 4,049 yards and 29 touchdowns through eight seasons as a tertiary pass-catching option for most of his career.
With Diggs in the fold, John Brown, who registered career highs in receptions (72) and yards (1,060) during the previous term, projects as a solid No. 2 option.
Tight end Dawson Knox had a decent rookie campaign, snagging 28 grabs for 388 yards and two scores. The unit also has some depth with Tyler Kroft if he’s fully recovered from a broken foot and low ankle sprain that limited his workload to 244 offensive snaps in 2019.
B/R goes on to say the Bills, compared to the Bengals, have less question marks in this area. But what likely keeps the Bills out of the top-10 are their very unproven tight ends. Kroft, as mentioned, has been oft-injured in his career and that’s how his first season with the Bills was a year ago. In Knox, he had a promising rookie season, but he has plenty to improve upon, including problems with drops.
However, there’s some big silver lining here. First, the Bills are the best-ranked pass catchers in the AFC East by B/R. Buffalo edges out the everyone in the division by… a lot. The Dolphins are the next closest… all the way at No. 29. But somehow they’re still ahead of the Patriots (30) and Jets (31). Those three are actually the three-worst ranks receiver rooms in the entire AFC, as the NFC’s Redskins fall in dead-last.
With that same concept in mind on the flip side, the Bills are in 11, but at the fourth-best among AFC teams. Ahead of the Bills are the Chiefs (2), Browns (3) and Chargers (9).
Still, even with these AFC positives, other outlets had the Bills in better standing within the entire league overall. Pro Football Focus among them, who recently ranked the Bills’ receivers the fifth-best in the NFL.
2017 to 2020 Buffalo Bills roster comparisons on offense.
After a couple of seasons, a lot can change in the NFL.
But in the case of the Buffalo Bills, maybe “a lot” just doesn’t cover it.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane both joined the team’s front office prior to the 2017 season. That year the Bills cracked the postseason in very unlikely fashion with a much-inherited team.
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The duo did make big roster moves before that season, like moving Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby. But now entering the fourth training camp under this regime, the names and down-right talent on their roster is a night and day comparison, so let’s do just that.
Here’s a full comparison of the Buffalo Bills’ 2017 roster on offense compared to their current one:
Quarterback
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
2017
2020
Tyrod Taylor
Josh Allen
Nathan Peterman
Jake Fromm
TJ Yates
Matt Barkley
Cardale Jones
Davis Webb
Advantage: 2020
At this rate, this is a pretty simple pick, even from top-to-bottom. Josh Allen has shown more potential than Tyrod Taylor, and now he’s been an even better gamer for some time now. Jake Fromm is going to push Matt Barkley for the No. 2 spot next season, and both are better than 2017’s No. 2 in Nathan Peterman. And we confess, the Bills did trade Cardale Jones just before 2017’s training camp, but when you have a chance to add 12-gauge into a story, you do it.
The Bills tried and missed at Greg Olsen in an early free agency attempt. It looks like the team is now probably going to give Tyler Kroft another whirl there.
The Bills tried and missed at Greg Olsen in an early free agency attempt. It looks like the team is now probably going to give Tyler Kroft another whirl there.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Kroft restructured his contract with the Bills. It gets reduced next season from $5.6 million due to $4 million with $3.4 million in guaranteed money. The final year of the contract in 2021 has also been voided as well. Because of that $3.4 million that the Bills will have to pay him, there’s a good likelihood he’s on the team’s roster next season.
In 11 games played last season, Kroft had just six catches for 71 yards. He added one touchdown, a key one against the Steelers to clinch the win and send Buffalo to the plaoffs on Sunday Night Football.
Aside from that, Kroft took the backseat to rookie Dawson Knox, who seized on an early-season opportunity to get snaps when Kroft suffered two ankle injuries.
In addition, the Bills could create some cap space by releasing some players in the offseason. Here are four Buffalo players who could be cap casualties this year.
The Buffalo Bills have approximately $80 million in cap space heading into the 2020 offseason, according to Spotrac. While that seems like a good chunk of change, there are various considerations that Buffalo’s brass will consider before spending that dough.
Buffalo’s front office has done a tremendous job of putting the Bills in a great fiscal situation. But with players such as Josh Allen, Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, and Tremaine Edmunds due for contract extensions in the near future, the team will be conscientious with their unrestricted free agent spending this spring.
In addition, the Bills could create some cap space by releasing some players in the offseason.
Here are four Bills players who could be among those cap causalities this offseason:
TE Tyler Kroft
Buffalo Bills tight end Tyler Kroft. Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
2020 Cap Hit: $6,412,500
2020: Dead money: $1,600,000
Tight end Tyler Kroft missed part of his first season in Buffalo with a foot injury. When he returned to the lineup after the injury seemed to linger on for a while, he lost snaps to rookie Dawson Knox. In 11 games, Kroft caught six passes for 71 yards and one touchdown reception.
The tight end room is a bit crowded for the Bills too, as Kroft, along with Knox, Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney are under contract for next year. Jason Croom is an ERFA, so the Bills will probably hold onto his rights in the offseason as a training camp body, at least. With the Bills reported interest in former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, there might be limited space for Kroft.
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:
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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.
Buffalo Bills tight end Lee Smith. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Cap situation
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.
The future
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.
