Dawson Knox: Drop machine or an improved second year?
Talk to any Buffalo Bills fan about Dawson Knox and the topic of him not being able to catch the ball will more than likely be the first topic of the conversation.
And with all due respect to Knox, they would be right. Coming from Ole Miss, Knox was never really seen as a pass-catching threat. During his senior season, he only recorded 15 receptions for 284 yards. Now is it some of our fault that we thought that he would be the second coming of Rob Gronkowski after that Cincinnati Bengals game where he demolished two separate players as part of a huge gain? Yes and no.
Knox filled a hole for the Bills and for a while he seemed to be a very promising rookie but his flaws started to show early. Knox was serviceable in pass-blocking but when he was lined up against Pro Bowlers, as we saw against Baltimore in Matthew Judon, he got exposed. His second flaw identified itself in the passing game. With only 28 receptions on 50 attempts, of which many were catchable, Knox was unable to haul them in. With a drop percentage of 20% and 10 full-blown drops, Knox has to find a second gear if he hopes to make a resurgence in his second season.
The Bills offense is now better than ever with the pieces added through trades, free agency and the draft. All the parts are there except the pass-catching tight end that has made teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers so successful.
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With the AFC East up for grabs this season, Knox has to make some grabs of his own if he really wants to be a vital part of the team’s offensive success this season.