Buffalo Bills: 3 Positions on offense to improve this offseason

Tight End

As great as the Bills passing offense was in 2020, not much of the production came from the tight end position. Similar to almost every other part of this 2020 Bills team, the tight end position improved in various ways as the season progressed. With that being said, the combination of Dawson Knox, Tyler Kroft, and Lee Smith amounted to less than 10% of the offense’s receptions and receiving yards, but surprisingly 20% of the receiving touchdowns.

These numbers show that the Bills didn’t utilize their tight ends while driving down the field as much as they did in the red zone. With the way tight ends got the better of the Bills defense this year and how the position is evolving in the NFL, it would be smart to add a weapon at that spot for the offense.

When analyzing the year, Knox proved exactly why he was an interesting prospect out of Ole Miss. The converted quarterback has the speed, strength, and versatility to play tight end and proved that multiple times this year.

However, Knox’s play this year also reinforced the fact that his development will be a project. Although Knox has the strength and athleticism for the position he may ultimately lack the natural hands to excel at the position. Overall, Knox didn’t play quite well enough this season to keep the Bills from entertaining the idea of drafting a tight end in the first round.

This Bills offense can take the next step forward by adding a complete tight end. A tight end that is willing and able to block, physical, athletic, and dynamic with the ball. It’s not easy to find a tight end that does all of these at a top-level like Travis Kelce or George Kittle. This year’s draft presents an opportunity for the Bills to draft a versatile tight end that has all these traits.

The three prospects that Bills fans should be most excited about targeting are Kyle Pitts, Pat Freiermuth, and Brevin Jordan. Pitts is the best receiving tight end of these three and has shown this year that he is willing and able to develop as a blocker.

Freiermuth doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and is probably the most well rounded of all the tight end prospects this year. Jordan on the other hand may be the most athletic and dynamic tight end with the ball in this year’s draft.

The Bills would be lucky to draft any one of these three tight ends, but Pitts will be the most difficult to draft as it is likely to require a trade-up from 30th overall.

After the Reese’s Senior Bowl, a couple of other prospects emerged as mid-to-late round gems at tight end. First is Duke’s Noah Gray who put together a great week of practice, showing his versatility as a blocker with pass catching capabilities. Second is Georgia’s Tre’ McKitty who was seldom used as a pass catcher at Georgia, so he used the Senior Bowl as an opportunity to showcase his hands and route running abilities.