Dawson Knox needs to go....now.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

9 hours ago, MDH said:

The dude is an athletic freak at the position. Keep letting him develop and ignore the irrational takes.

 

Imagine if the Bills were just as impatient with Allen as people here are asking to do with Knox.  He could be gone by now.  Granted he shown more improvement in first two years than Knox has, but also parallels in that both had huge physical skills, but limited experience coming out and have needed time to develop.

 

Well Kroft is a FA so will be interesting to see right there what the team thinks of Knox, if they go out an sign a better option or resign Kroft or do something else.  Looking at the list of FA's, Hunter Henry and Jared Cook are the only two names I see on the list that are decent players that should be an improvement unless they want Gronk.  There's a couple other names slightly better than Tyler Kroft so not much improvement there may as well, resign Kroft in that case.  To me drafting a rookie isn't likely going to help as they  are ready to win now.  They say TE is one of the longer positions to learn so likely Knox would still beat out a rookie next season.

[T master]

Norman definitely he's taking up a roster spot that could have a younger player for less money developing them for the Bills future i get why McD brought him in for the veteran presence in the locker room and all but the what they are getting for the money not sure that i would rather have a different player in his place .

 

Good dude i have totally changed my mind set on him from what it was when he was talking trash about JA a couple yrs ago but they could still get a better bang for their buck with another player rather than being the high light of your season being a straight arm from DH on ESPN . 

 

That was really good though 😜.

[Hebert19]

Knox slowly starting to contribute though and blocks tough. 

[SCBills]

I think Knox is starting to play pretty well.  The fumble obviously wasn't ideal, but I'm not going to let that wipe away the fact that he's been looking like a solid TE for a few weeks now. 

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

Just now, SCBills said:

I think Knox is starting to play pretty well.  The fumble obviously wasn't ideal, but I'm not going to let that wipe away the fact that he's been looking like a solid TE for a few weeks now. 

I think we're seeing a bit of an overreaction because he had that 'drop' on the deep ball just before the fumble so it was back to back plays of screaming KNOX at the TV lol.  That looked like a tough catch on that deep ball though 

[thenorthremembers]

Right now Knox has one play.  Catch it wide open on the sideline and try to stiff arm his way up the field.   After the PI on the goal line I kept thinking I was so glad the Steelers held him because it is essentially 50/50 whether the guy will come down with the ball on routine catches, and that wasnt a routine catch. 

 

They need to update the Tight End position if they can in the offseason. 

[NewEra]

2 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

Right now Knox has one play.  Catch it wide open on the sideline and try to stiff arm his way up the field.   After the PI on the goal line I kept thinking I was so glad the Steelers held him because it is essentially 50/50 whether the guy will come down with the ball on routine catches, and that wasnt a routine catch. 

 

They need to update the Tight End position if they can in the offseason. 

Agreed.  Update, as in add another TE to compete with knox or start. Our salary cap situation is begging our FO to sign a minimal $ TE or draft one in rds 4 (if we get one)-7.  Our offense is pretty good with knox as our starter.  We don’t necessarily NEED a an upgrade at TE if we can keep this intact and upgrade elsewhere.  Knox is serviceable and ascending.

[Victory Formation]

I think Knox has been bad.. The frustrating thing about him though is he flashes an elite skill set.. That’s one position on offense that needs a major rehaul.. Drops are killer for an offense.. Too many balls hit his hands and he just drops them.. Sure, I’d keep him around because his contract is cheap and hope that it all comes together for him but we desperately need a quality TE that is a bit more dependable.. I liked Sweeney a lot, too bad he didn’t see the field this year.. but other than that, I don’t care too much if Smith or Kroft goes..

[Einstein's Dog]

26 minutes ago, SCBills said:

I think Knox is starting to play pretty well.  The fumble obviously wasn't ideal, but I'm not going to let that wipe away the fact that he's been looking like a solid TE for a few weeks now. 

I agree with you.  Knox is improving and it is showing in a longer view.

 

On a side note, it is really advantageous from a long range perspective to develop and play your draft picks.  It's how you can sustain good/great teams over a period of time.  Also having continuity increases the odds of continued success.

 

You don't go out and try and trade/buy an Ertz over keeping Smoke and Knox.

[Success]

I'm a Knox fan.  When he had that fumble, everyone was like "here we go again," but that could happen to anyone.  It was kind of a tough catch in traffic, and he tried to salvage it - it was bad luck that the ball didn't hit the ground.

 

He's really fun to watch when he gets the ball, though - he just stays on his feet and keeps fighting.  He's still a pretty young player.  I feel like he could become one of those x factors as we start to make more playoff appearances going forward.

 

[ganesh]

49 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

Right now Knox has one play.  Catch it wide open on the sideline and try to stiff arm his way up the field.   After the PI on the goal line I kept thinking I was so glad the Steelers held him because it is essentially 50/50 whether the guy will come down with the ball on routine catches, and that wasnt a routine catch. 

 

They need to update the Tight End position if they can in the offseason. 

The ball just missed his hands...That would have been a TD if the DB had not interfered.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

11 hours ago, Kwai San said:

OK....after his crazy fumble I was ready to go thru my TV screen.  But as I thought it through in years past that play would have been the downward spiral of the Bills to a horrific loss.  Perhaps Knox can stay perhaps not - he tried to atone for his error rather well.

 

Bottom line these Bills are real, the real deal.  America is seeing this.  This Saturday presents another opportunity to show the world - Bills are the real deal.

 

Meanwhile......Knox can go, along with Norman.....see yourselves out the door genitals.......

He's athletic enough, but he isn't very good.

 

The drops, his field awareness, injury history. 

 

Tight End is still a hole on this roster. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Straight Hucklebuck

[papazoid]

knox is a horrible blocker and a mediocre receiver.....bills must upgrade

[Wsam4031]

11 hours ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

Please stop.  This is a ridiculous take

Why is it ridiculous? I think Kroft should be starting and wouldnt be upset if they let knox walk. Dude is just unreliable. Fumbles, easy drops etc. tight ends are supposed to be reliable and hes just not

[Straight Hucklebuck]

3 minutes ago, Wsam4031 said:

Why is it ridiculous? I think Kroft should be starting and wouldnt be upset if they let knox walk. Dude is just unreliable. Fumbles, easy drops etc. tight ends are supposed to be reliable and hes just not

Nobody can argue with this. 

 

Knox is athletic enough to be on the field, but unreliable is the right word. 

 

His instincts for the game are below average, he drops the ball, the fumbles, and injuries. 

 

Keep him in the rotation, but the Bills need a starter, Knox has had plenty of chances to establish himself against a weak positional group and hasn't done it. 

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

I think Knox is starting to play pretty well.  The fumble obviously wasn't ideal, but I'm not going to let that wipe away the fact that he's been looking like a solid TE for a few weeks now. 

 

It's so up and down. And they really are extreme ups and downs.

 

The bad drops, the fumbles...

 

Then a couple good, redeeming plays.

 

I dont know. I guess keep him around next year while he is still on a rookie deal, but he better show some improvement between the ears.

[starrymessenger]

19 minutes ago, ganesh said:

The ball just missed his hands...That would have been a TD if the DB had not interfered.

 

...and if he had caught it. I get that he has all the measurables but if his hands are bad as a project he's a waste of time. I always felt that Allen would develop accuracy as a passer. I'm less confident that a player can learn to have good hands. Either you've got them or you don't. Also he is not a great blocker. Whiffs a lot. Bills have not underinvested in the TE and RB positions - 3 third round picks and moved up for Knox- but so far the return is not commensurate with the investment. This offence would be on a par with KC's if those guys could better contribute. They need to step up.

[thenorthremembers]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

Agreed.  Update, as in add another TE to compete with knox or start. Our salary cap situation is begging our FO to sign a minimal $ TE or draft one in rds 4 (if we get one)-7.  Our offense is pretty good with knox as our starter.  We don’t necessarily NEED a an upgrade at TE if we can keep this intact and upgrade elsewhere.  Knox is serviceable and ascending.

Yes.  However, if you're sitting in the 2nd round and Pat Freiermuth is sitting there I think you make the pick.    This year's draft is top heavy at Tight End.   If you want to make a move that wont cost a lot of money you do it there.   I understand Knox has talent, but his output is akin to someone like Jeremy Sprinkle.   He is going into year three next year, and he hasnt shown enough to this point to even consider warranting a second contract.

 

Worst case scenario Knox continues to be inconsistent and you have Freiermuth as a long term starter.  Best case scenario Knox blossoms and you have two great options at tight end.

Edited December 14, 2020 by thenorthremembers

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

I’ve said this before, the TE position takes longer to develop than any other position for some reason. I’m guessing they need to know it all, blocking assignments, route running, play book and probably a few more things. My take on Knox is that I feel like he will improve all parts of his game and will be a good TE. He is a average blocker but has elite athletic ability. I see him becoming a solid to good TE next year.

[DaggersEOD]

People have been mentioning how great Mike Gesicki is this year, but they don't known that he wasn't very good at all before this year.

 

I think Knox just needs more time to develop.