Bills TE Dawson Knox In Week 5: Breakout Brewing vs. Steelers?
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Despite entering the 2022 season with high expectations, Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox has been off to a relatively slow start.
The 25-year-old has caught 12 passes on 17 targets for 111 yards. While Knox was expected to be a big play target for Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen, the Ole Miss product has yet to earn a touchdown reception.
However, Knox is beginning to show signs of breaking out at the right time.
Although he continues to battle both back and hip injuries, Knox caught three of six targets for 40 yards, including a season-long 20-yard reception, in the Bills' 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Though his Week 4 stat sheet may be best described as adequate, Knox’s involvement in a significant-yardage connection is clearly a step in the right direction.
With Buffalo set to return to the friendly confines of Highmark Stadium for Week 5, Knox has the opportunity to build upon his performance against a team that's had trouble defending tight ends this season in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 6-4, 254-pound tight end is at his best when utilizing the intermediate area of the field, particularly against teams with difficulty defending it. Knox is successful when finding space sitting down in soft zones, as well as utilizing flat combinations. When teams attempt to neutralize the middle of the field by taking away slot targets underneath, he often finds room to operate in some catch-and-run situations over the middle.
When the ball is not headed his way, Knox has also stepped up his blocking game on the edge, especially improving upon sealing his blocks. In most circumstances, he is well-positioned to be a problematic player to defend for any team.
While he was already expected to be a notable weapon for Allen in the red zone, any deficiency in opposing team’s secondaries allows Knox the opportunity to maneuver in the middle of the field, as well. With star wideout Stefon Diggs often drawing the attention from opposing perimeter corners, wideouts Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie have commanded the attention from remaining members of the secondary, namely slot corners and even safeties. If Knox is given room to make plays in the open field, defenses will surely pay the price, especially if McKenzie is unable to play due to a head injury. Therefore, Allen would be smart to utilize him in this fashion, as well as in short-yardage scoring situations against Pittsburgh to end his scoring drought in 2022.
Kickoff between the Bills and Steelers is set for Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. ET from Orchard Park, NY.
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