The Buffalo Bills combined to throw 121 passes to their tight ends last year, 98 of which went to the top two guys on their depth chart. The foursome that Buffalo played at tight end combined for 95 receptions, 1,210 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the Bills have decided to run it back with nearly the same tight end grouping that they used last year. There was one big question mark, though, and it related less to the player’s talent and fit on the team and more to his salary cap number.
Advertisement
In today’s installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss a tight end whose steady career will continue with the Bills at least through this year.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: Dawson Knox
Number: 88
Position: TE
Height/Weight: 6’4” 254 lbs.
Age: 29 (30 on 11/14/2026)
Experience/Draft: 8; selected by Buffalo in the third round (No. 96 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft
College: Ole Miss
Acquired: Third-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Knox signed a renegotiated three-year deal this offseason, which is worth $20 million in total. The big plus for Buffalo was that it lowered his 2026 cap hit to $8,551,333. That’s much more palatable than the $17.1 million cap hit he was slated to hold on his old deal. Buffalo would be on the hook fora. dead cap charge of $17.404 million if they were to release him.
Advertisement
2025 Recap: Knox stepped up in place of an injured Dalton Kincaid to have his most productive season since the team added No. 86 in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Knox also played a full slate for the first time in his NFL career, playing in all 17 regular season games and both of Buffalo’s postseason contests, as well. He totaled 49 targets in the regular season, catching 36 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns. All of those totals are season-highs since his Pro Bowl 2022 season, which is the year before the Bills added Kincaid to the mix. He continued a run of more secure catching, as well, dropping only two passes on the year. Sure, one of them was a surefire touchdown against the Cleveland Browns that would have given Buffalo a 29-20 lead in the fourth quarter of a game they ultimately won 23-20, but most of Knox’s year was very, very good. He had a productive postseason, as well, catching six of his eight targets for 62 yards. For the regular season, he was tied for third on the team in targets, and he was tied for second in receiving touchdowns. He was third on the team in receiving yards and fourth on the team in catches.
Positional outlook: Knox is one of five tight ends on the current roster, and he stands ready to reprise his role as the primary backup to Kincaid. Jackson Hawes, Shane Zylstra, and Keleki Latu are the other tight ends.
2026 Offseason: Knox is healthy and he participated in offseason work this summer.
2026 Season outlook: I was surprised that the Bills kept Knox on the roster, as I figured the team would move on, save the money, and play second-year man Jackson Hawes more this season. However, I’m not mad that the Bills decided to find a way to keep Knox in the fold. He’s become a reliable target for Josh Allen, and as his longest-tenured pass-catcher, there’s obviously quite a bit of rapport there. Knox is the Bills’ franchise record-holder in receiving touchdowns for a tight end, as he surpassed Pete Metzelaars in that category last season by nabbing his 27th career touchdown reception. He could actually move past Gabe Davis, Stevie Johnson, and Bob Chandler, sliding up to seventh in franchise history in receiving touchdowns, if he just has three scores this season.
Advertisement
Knox is a very capable insurance policy for Kincaid, whose injury woes over the last two years have kept him from reaching his immense potential. While he isn’t the mauler that Hawes is as a blocker, he’s more than capable of mixing it up with linebackers and defensive linemen in-line, and while he isn’t the seam-stretcher that Kincaid is, he’s more than capable of taking a short pass and turning it into first-down yardage. Knox is the most balanced tight end the Bills have on the roster, which is perhaps a large reason why they decided it was worth asking him to stick around. His leadership is another big plus, as Knox has become a person who might not wear the captain’s “C” on his chest, but still holds sway in the locker room.
He isn’t going to be All Pro, and he isn’t someone you should draft in fantasy football, either. However, Dawson Knox is a great glue guy on a team, and he’s capable of making a big play or three to help the Bills win. He’s a roster lock this fall.
Read the full article here