NFL Analyst Suggests Bills Should Trade Former Pro Bowl TE

The Buffalo Bills went on a spree of roster moves throughout the 2024 NFL offseason, allowing Micah Hyde and Gabriel Davis to walk as free agents and cutting Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse and Tre’ Davious White before trading four-time Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs. to the Houston Texans. The multitude of omissions appears to be over, but Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport has other ideas.

In a recent article identifying a veteran that every NFL team should consider trading before the start of the 2024 NFL season, the author suggested that Buffalo should move sixth-year tight end Dawson Knox, highlighting the wide receiver’s contract and the emergence of Dalton Kincaid. as potential motivations for the maneuver.

“In 2021 and 2022, Knox flirted with 50 catches and surpassed 500 receiving yards,” Davenport wrote. “He had 15 receiving touchdowns during that span. But with the emergence of Dalton Kincaid as a tight end last season, Knox’s numbers plummeted: His snap count dropped 20 percent, and he caught just 22 passes for 186 yards and two scores. in 12 matches.

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Knox’s snap count declined a bit during the 2023 season, reaching career lows in receptions, targets and receiving yards (22, 36 and 186). Kincaid’s presence and late appearance certainly contribute to Knox’s diminished role, but perhaps not as much as his illness; The tight end was limited to just 12 regular season games last season due to a wrist injury.

Knox also has a demonstrated relationship with quarterback Josh Allen, scoring 266 targets and 22 touchdowns during his professional career. That chemistry may be what Allen is leaning on to start the 2024 season, as the team has heavily revamped its aerial attack throughout the spring; With Diggs and Davis replaced by Curtis Samuel, free agent and rookie Keon Coleman, one might reasonably expect Allen to rely on pre-established relationships with players like Knox, Kincaid and third-year contributor Khalil Shakir at start of the new season.

Davenport points this out, but nonetheless concludes that trading Knox might ultimately fall on Buffalo.

“Now, given the losses the Bills have suffered at wide receiver this season, dealing a proven passer may seem unwise,” Davenport wrote. “But it’s clear that Knox has given way to Kincaid as the team’s No. 1 tight end. Knox’s injury last year played a role, but when Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator in Buffalo, the team ran fewer “12” (two tight ends) sets.

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“Knox may be second fiddle now in Western New York, but he would be the top tight end on several NFL teams, including some with playoff aspirations in 2024. After reworking his contract, Knox has a reasonable ceiling. of just $7.7 million in 2024, but that jumps to more than $14 million in 2025, a sign that this could be his final season with the team.

It’s not a blatant suggestion, but it’s hard to imagine the Bills trading Knox this offseason, barring a major change in circumstances; Buffalo would only free up about $2.7 million in salary cap space by trading the tight end, and his presence is likely more beneficial to the team than a marginal increase in financial flexibility. Additionally, general manager Brandon Beane has previously suggested that Knox will play a prominent role in the team’s offense in his first full injury-free season; during a recent appearance on The athletic football showthe executive talked about the team’s tight ends, implying she has high aspirations for Knox and Kincaid.

“The other thing people look at is the people lining up in the receiver room, but our tight ends can catch the ball as well,” Beane said. “Those guys are heavily involved in the passing game with Dawson (Knox) ​​and Dalton Kincaid. Don’t forget those guys. I would say if you watch the Chiefs run, they did a good job, I “I would say this thing is built around – it’s obviously built around (Patrick) Mahomes – but the receiving corps, it starts with (Travis Kelce).