Bills' Summer Break More Business Than Leisure for Veteran Dawson Knox

There are 48 days in between the end of Buffalo Bills' minicamp and the first practice of training camp, and tight end Dawson Knox plans to use the time wisely.

"Stay in shape," said the grizzled veteran an out his intentions for the seven-week summer break.

The 29-year-old Knox, who became a new father this past fall, will naturally welcome the opportunity to be with his family in a non-football setting for an extended period. We wrote about his excitement over the birth of his daughter making its way into a Week 15 end zone celebration last December.

"Try to get away. Well probably, my wife and I will probably do a little getaway for a couple days for our anniversary. My family's going down to Florida for a week," said Knox, who hails from Tennessee. "You got to take time to decompress. You got to take time to kind of let your body recalibrate. Take your mind off football for a week."

Jun 9, 2026; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Living the NFL offseason cycle for the eighth year in a row, however, Knox knows it's not a time to get comfortable. He's seen the importance of physically preparing his body for training camp during the weeks away from the team facility.

"But for the most part, it's really continuing to get in better shape because when we get back to camp, it's go time. So, unplug for a bit, but start ramping up pretty soon," said Knox.

Not on vacation

For the all players, especially the rookies, it's important to keep working during the time away. Any lapse can come back to bite once training camp starts.

"I think the common misconception is that this is a break where some guys might take too much time off. Just kind of reiterating, yeah, it's a break in terms of not being here, but you can't treat it like a vacation the whole time," said Knox.

After resting for a few days, Knox plans to resume activity at the level of where he left off last week.

"I recommend you go take five or six days, go unplug. Don't work out for four or five days, but besides that, you need to be doing every bit as much as we've been doing these last couple months up here, or else you're going to fall behind and it's going to hurt the team one way or the other," said Knox.

Whether or not he's directly following Knox's recommendation, Bills' second-round rookie edge rusher TJ Parker has plans to challenge himself prior to his first NFL training camp kicking off on July 29. We wrote about Parker's arrangement to work out with veteran teammate Bradley Chubb in Miami.

"Train for yourself, but also train for the guy next to you that's going to expect you to be in shape when you get back," said Knox.

Dawson Knox as valuable as ever to Bills

This past March, Knox, a 2019 third-round draft pick, reworked his contract to significantly lessen his salary cap hit so he could remain with the Bills for the foreseeable future.

The two-way tight end, who can be trusted as a blocker and a pass-catcher, has played approximately 60 percent of offensive snaps since Joe Brady was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2023.

Knox, who has the longest working relationship with Josh Allen out of all Bills' pass-catchers, was available for all 17 games in 2025. He accounted for 417 receiving yards and four touchdowns while 23 of his 36 receptions resulted in first downs. Over 102 career games (83 starts), the veteran has totaled 229 receptions, including 27 touchdowns.

Trubisky to Knox ‼️

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Jf9gQf0kcC
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 4, 2026

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