As the Buffalo Bills and NFL move towards free agency and the draft, my position-by-position State of the Bills offseason series continues with a look at the tight ends:
Under contract:
- Dawson Knox
- Tommy Sweeney
- Quintin Morris
Pending Free Agents:
- None
State of the position:
At this time last year, the tight end position dominated a lot of talk about the Bills' offseason. There was a sense and healthy debate from some in the fanbase and media that the team needed to upgrade from Dawson Knox as their top tight end, or at the very least, add someone who would split that distinction with him.
Other than signing Jacob Hollister, who never even made the final 53-man roster when all was said and done, they never did anything even close to that sort of thing, and Brandon Beane and his front office staff were ultimately proven right about that.
Knox had a true breakout year, catching 49 passes for 587 yards and sharing the league lead among all tight ends with nine touchdown catches. That’s even with missing two games due to a hand injury.
Knox went from an inconsistent pass catcher, who many thought should have a diminished role, to a legitimate No. 1 tight end who may be a candidate for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey employees Knox, but there's no doubt he is now a legitimate starter and receiving threat who they also trust to be a blocker. By the end of the season, Knox rarely came off the field, playing over 90% of the offensive snaps in eight of the final nine games.
Behind Knox, the question marks not only start but really become large.
After missing all of 2020 with myocarditis, Tommy Sweeney did a great job to rebound to re-claim a spot on the roster. However, he never really blossomed into anything more than a seldom used role player. In fact, Sweeney was inactive for the final three regular season games, and four of the last five. Then he did not get a jersey for either of the team’s two playoff games.
Notably, the Bills only dressed one tight end (Knox) in both of those postseason contests, something that's very rare in the NFL.
Sweeney finished the 2021 season with nine catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. He is still under contract for 2022 and will compete once again for a spot. He may even earn that as they go through training camp, and now that he's another year removed from his myocarditis. But he'll, no doubt, also have competition.
One of the players competing for that backup role will be Quintin Morris, who spent the entire season on the practice squad, then signed a Reserve/Future contract after the season to return. He was elevated for one regular season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, but did not see the field at all.
Morris will be someone to watch when camp rolls around after spending a full year in the system and building, but shouldn't be a factor in any decision they make this offseason.
It should be noted, of course, that the Bills also use Reggie Gilliam as a tight end sometimes, although he's officially listed as a fullback. He plays the hybrid/H-back role for the team and saw increased snaps as the season went on.
Ultimately, how the Bills decide to attack this position in the offseason will really depend on what Dorsey's plans are for the offense. If he wants to use more two tight end sets, then they'll most likely want to go out and grab another solid player to add to the mix. But if he's comfortable going into the season with just one true top guy and then a bunch of role-playing backups, it's not a position they'll be looking to pump a lot of resources into.
That said, if Knox misses any extended time, it could really hamper the offense if they don’t either upgrade the backup spot or Sweeney or Morris take a significant leap.
Since Beane has been in charge, and especially after they drafted Knox in 2019, the playbook at the spot has been to roll with younger players they can develop and use for specific roles. I wouldn't expect much to change in that regard unless, again, Dorsey has different ideas that he brings to been.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Bills draft someone in the mid-to-late rounds to contribute a bit as a rookie and develop behind Knox, or a lesser used free agent they feel can be useful, but not cost a lot of money.
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