Dawson Alan Knox (born November 14, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss and was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.
.jpg) Knox with the Bills in 2022 | |||||||
| No. 88 – Buffalo Bills | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 14, 1996 Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 254 lb (115 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Brentwood Academy (TN) | ||||||
| College: | Ole Miss (2015–2018) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2019 / Round: 3 / Pick: 96 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Early years
Knox attended St. Paul Christian Academy and Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee.[1] He played wide receiver and quarterback for the high school football team. He played in only one game his senior season due to an ankle injury.[2]
College career
Knox joined the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as a walk-on fullback in 2015.[3] He played at Ole Miss until 2018.[4] During his career, he had 39 receptions for 605 yards.[5] After his junior season in 2018, he decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.[6][7]
Collegiate statistics
| Dawson Knox | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Conf | Pos | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2015 | Ole Miss | SEC | TE | 0 |  Redshirt | |||
| 2016 | Ole Miss | SEC | TE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Ole Miss | SEC | TE | 8 | 24 | 321 | 13.4 | 0 |
| 2018 | Ole Miss | SEC | TE | 9 | 15 | 284 | 18.9 | 0 |
| Career | 18 | 39 | 605 | 15.5 | 0 | |||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) | 254 lb (115 kg) | 33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.59 s | 1.57 s | 2.66 s | 4.27 s | 7.02 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[8][9] | ||||||||||||
The Buffalo Bills selected Knox in the third round with the 96th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.[10] Knox signed his rookie contract with the team on June 14, 2019.[11]
On September 22, 2019, Knox caught his first NFL touchdown from Josh Allen against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. He had a hand in the Bills' game-winning drive, catching another reception from Allen for 49 yards and running over two Bengals defenders along the way to set up a touchdown run by Frank Gore. Knox finished with three receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown as the Bills won 21-17.[12] Knox had an up-and-down rookie season, catching 28 of 50 targets for 388 yards and two touchdowns.[13]
On October 24, 2020, Knox was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus.[14] He was activated on November 5.[15] Knox played in 12 games, starting seven, in 2020, catching 24 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns.[16] In Buffalo's Wild Card Round victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Knox caught two passes for five yards, including a two-yard touchdown from Josh Allen in the first quarter of the Bills' eventual 27–24 victory.[17] In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, Knox recorded six catches for 42 yards and a touchdown during the 38–24 loss.[18]
Knox became a more prominent part of the Bills' passing attack in 2021. In Week 4, in a 40–0 victory over the Houston Texans, he had two receiving touchdowns.[19] In Week 5 against the Chiefs, he had three receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown in the 38–20 victory.[20] During Thanksgiving Day against the New Orleans Saints, he caught two touchdowns to raise his season total to 7, overtaking Buffalo's franchise record for most receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end.[21]
On September 7, 2022, the Bills signed Knox to a four-year $53.6 million extension, making him one of the top paid tight ends in the league.[22][23] Knox finished the 2022 season with 48 receptions for 517 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[24] He scored a receiving touchdown in the Bills' 34–31 Wild Card Round victory over the Miami Dolphins.[25]
The Bills drafted tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft to complement Knox, signaling an intent to use more double tight end formations on offense.[26] On October 26, 2023, Knox was placed on injured reserve after undergoing wrist surgery.[27] He was activated on December 9.[28]
NFL career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | BUF | 15 | 11 | 28 | 388 | 13.9 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | BUF | 12 | 7 | 24 | 288 | 12.0 | 36 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | BUF | 15 | 14 | 49 | 587 | 12.0 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 4 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 48 | 517 | 10.8 | 45 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BUF | 12 | 11 | 22 | 186 | 8.5 | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 69 | 58 | 171 | 1,966 | 11.5 | 53 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | BUF | 3 | 2 | 10 | 65 | 6.5 | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 7 | 98 | 14.0 | 38 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 8 | 85 | 10.6 | 32 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 10 | 9 | 28 | 275 | 9.8 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Buffalo Bills franchise records
Personal life
Knox is a Christian.[31] Knox has partnered with P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative, an organization founded by former Bills punter Brian Moorman, to support the organization through various initiatives.[32]
Knox's younger brother, Luke, played linebacker for the Ole Miss Rebels and was set to play the 2022 season for the Florida International University Panthers as a graduate transfer. Luke Knox died August 17, 2022, following a sudden hospitalization.[33]
On November 30, 2023, Knox became engaged to personal trainer Alex Seefeldt. He announced the engagement via Instagram on December 3.[34]
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Yahoo! Sports
- Buffalo Bills bio
- Ole Miss Rebels bio
- Dawson Knox on X