Bills' TE Dawson Knox: Buffalo's Venerable Threat Lands at No. 17

Tight end Dawson Knox is one of the most venerable players on the Buffalo Bills, being only one of 15 players on their 90-man roster with at least eight years of experience, and he has become a very important presence on and off the field.

As young tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Jackson Hawes joined in 2023 and 2025, Knox became a stabilizing presence. Last season, he recorded his best numbers since his Pro Bowl year in 2022 and became the Bills' all-time touchdown leader for tight ends, perhaps a sign of things to come in 2026.

Now entering his eighth NFL season, Knox will continue to serve as a reliable target for quarterback Josh Allen and a run blocker for him, James Cook and others in one of the NFL's best offenses.

Why is Knox so important?

#Bills Dawson Knox has stepped up big time these last two weeks man. What a grab!

Just his third career two touchdown game of his career! At a huge moment too! #BillsMafia @PayTheBillsPod pic.twitter.com/3X30CrCcoX
— Carson Hayek (@CarsonHayek) December 14, 2025

Knox has the willingness to go over the middle of the field, find open space in the defense and make tough catches, and when he has the ball in his hands, he is tough to get on the ground. Just look at his performance against the Bengals in Week 14 to learn about it.

Run blocking is also a strength of Knox, who helped Cook to win the NFL's rushing title as part of the league's best rushing offense. Allen's 71 rushing touchdowns since Knox's rookie season is a testament to Knox's ability to get dirty in the trenches.

However, Knox's hands can be shaky at times. His 73.5% catch rate was second-worst among Bills players with at least 40 targets in 2025. He caught 36 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns that season.

Knox's background

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) makes a catch against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Knox was born on November 14, 1996 in Brentwood, Tennessee, and was the team's quarterback. After that, he walked on at Ole Miss in 2015 as a fullback and transitioned to tight end. In 17 games as a Rebel, Knox tallied 39 catches for 605 yards.

The Bills selected Knox in the third round at No. 96 overall in 2019 and caught his first career touchdown in Week 3 of that season against the Bengals.

Knox caught 48 passes for 517 yards and six touchdowns in 2022 to earn Pro Bowl honors, but his best season came in 2021, when he caught 49 balls for 587 yards and nine touchdowns. Overall, Knox has caught 229 passes for 2,694 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career, all of which rank in the Top 20 in Bills history.

The rest of the Top 25 so far

25. RB Ty Johnson, June 16
24. CB Maxwell Hairston, June 17
23. K Tyler Bass, June 18
22. CB Dee Alford, June 19
21. LB Dorian Williams, June 20
20. RB Ray Davis, June 22
19. S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, June 23
18. G Alec Anderson, June 24

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