Dawson Knox, the Buffalo Bills’ starting tight end, has been designated for return off injured reserve. Knox will have a 21-day practice window before being promoted to the active roster. If Buffalo does not activate him during that 21-day period, he will be out for the rest of the season.
Knox broke his right wrist in Week 5 but played the next two games before undergoing wrist surgery and being placed on injured reserve on October 23.
How did the Buffalo Bills’ tight end perform in the first seven games?
This season, Knox has been a huge letdown. He has 15 receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown on 28 targets.
Knox is averaging 14.6 yards per game, a career low. In those seven games, he had four drops, two interceptions, a passer rating of 44 when targeted, a 51.7 PFF grade, and played 68% of the offensive snaps.
Who took over for the injured Knox?
Dalton Kincaid has been named the starter at tight end. Dalton Kincaid was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round, 25th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft. Kincaid started his rookie season as Knox’s backup.
Kincaid has done well in his rookie season. In the last five games, he has 31 receptions on 37 targets for 281 yards and two touchdowns. This season, he has 56 receptions on 64 targets for 474 yards and two touchdowns.
Kincaid has a yardage average of 43.1 yards per game. He has two drops and one interception, a passer rating of 101.4 when targeted, a PFF grade of 67.9, and plays 66% of the offensive snaps.
Sean McDermott, the head coach, has praised Kincaid:
“When given the opportunity, he’s taken advantage of it and made the most of it. When that happens you see more opportunities, it’s just how it works. You never want to see a player go down in Dawson, but sometimes it allows another player–in this case, a young player–to come onto the scene a little bit more and show us what he’s got. He’s done well.”
Knox has been helping Kincaid on the sideline:
“I know as a rookie it’s easy to have the high highs and the low lows, so just keeping everybody level, keeping everybody just controlling what they can. Also, if I see something in the defense and maybe [Kincaid] doesn’t, maybe bringing something to his attention, but he’s so smart already he’ll have most of it handled himself.”
Knox returned to practice this week.
Knox returned to practice on Wednesday and could play on Sunday. Here’s what Knox had to say about his wrist:
“Just talking to Joe, I think this is the most fresh I’ve ever felt in Week 13 or 14 of a season before. I got some great time to get the legs back ready. The wrist feels great. Big shoutout to the strength staff and the training staff here putting in the hours and the time. But thankful to be back with the team.”
Leave a Reply