Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR550) - As the Buffalo Bills look towards free agency and the NFL Draft, my 2023 "State of the Bills" position-by-position series continues.
Here’s a look at the tight ends:
Under contract:
- Dawson Knox
- Quintin Morris
- Zach Davidson
Pending Free Agents:
- Tommy Sweeney
State of the position:
The only player on this entire list that's certain to be on the roster on opening day is Knox, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract extension last offseason, including $31.2 million guaranteed. That extension kicks in this year, so Knox is in the fold for four more seasons.
Knox dealt with the unimaginable tragedy of losing his younger brother, Luke, right before last season started. He understandably was away from the team at the tail end of the preseason before returning to start the first four games. A foot injury sideline him Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that was the only game he missed.
Knox's overall production dropped off a bit from 2021 when he led all NFL tight ends in touchdowns with nine. He scored six of them this past year, grabbing 48 passes for 517 yards, both numbers just shy of the previous year.
It’s very possible the Bills pair Knox with another high-quality tight end in 2023, but even if that’s the case, he will still have a prominent role in their offense once again and going forward.
Heading into last year’s training camp, Morris was mostly an afterthought at the position. The team signed O.J. Howard, hoping he would give them that extra presence they have been searching for at the spot.
However, it never worked out with Howard, and Morris was the biggest beneficiary, showing very good athleticism, hands, and the ability to be a very capable blocker.
In the one game Knox missed, Morris got the start and caught three passes for 39 yards. That was his highest output of the season for both categories.
However, through the final 11 games of the season, Morris was only targeted twice, catching both passes for a total of 17 yards, finishing with just eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on the season.
He added a catch in each of the team's two playoff games.
The 2021 undrafted free agent played over 67% of the special teams snaps last year, fifth-most on the team. He’s under contract for one more year and then will be an Exclusive Rights Free Agent next offseason. So Morris will, once again, come to camp and fight for a job.
Sweeney has stuck around ever since being drafted in the seventh round in 2019. He’s always displayed very good hands, but isn’t quite the athlete Knox or Morris are.
The Bills have used him in a pinch when needed, playing 27 games, starting four in his three professional seasons.
Sweeney missed all of 2020 after being diagnosed with myocarditis. It’s a huge testament to him to be able to come back and play the last two seasons.
Last year, Sweeney was inactive for 11 of the 16 games played. When he did suit up, he averaged playing about 10 snaps in those contests, finishing the season with one catch, on his only target, for seven yards. He also contributed quite a bit on special teams in several of those games.
Sweeney is now scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. It’s doubtful there’s much of a market for him to go anywhere else, but if he finds it, he might want a better opportunity to try and see the field.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t rule out Sweeney coming back in the same “in a pinch” role he’s been in the past, including possibly being on the practice squad.
Davidson’s most notable play in 2022 was getting pushed by Packers' linebacker Quay Walker while not even wearing a uniform and standing on the sidelines. Walker was ejected for the incident.
Davidson, a 2021 fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, was also was a standout punter in college. He spent all last season on the Bills' practice squad, then signed a Reserve/Future contract to come back to camp in 2023.
Overall, this is a position to monitor this offseason, and especially when it comes to April’s NFL Draft.
The Bills have been searching for another tight end to add to their offense for several years, including signing Tyler Kroft as a free agent, then Jacob Hollister, then Howard last season.
None turned out the way they had hoped.
Last season, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey used tackle Bobby Hart as an extra blocking lineman quite a bit. Essentially a two tight end set, but with one of the players not an actual tight end.
The dream scenario for the Bills and Dorsey would be to have that extra lineman be a very good blocker to help in the run game, but also an athletic pass-catching threat. And not just a reliable one, but one that can truly be a mismatch and make a difference on a weekly basis.
You never know, because they've tried it before, but I wouldn’t expect the Bills to dip too heavily into the free agent market for the position, given the contract they already handed out to Knox.
The more likely route is the draft, and even a possible early-round pick. This tight end draft class is deep, but especially good at the top, where there may be three or four of those types of players.
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