ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Earlier this season, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Dawson Knox's "best ball was ahead of him."
Weeks later, Knox continues to shine on this pass-heavy Bills offense.
“I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder ever since I was a walk-on in college,” Knox said. “Just never being satisfied with my game is always a big thing, and having that mindset of ‘you’re never content with where you’re at’.”
Knox finished with five catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns in the team's 40-0 win over the Houston Texans.
His season numbers are impressive, catching 75% of the passes thrown his way for 144 yards and four touchdowns. For comparison, he only had three touchdowns all of last season.
“I’m trying to get better every day. Whether it’s catching, run blocking, pass protection,” he said about his practice regimen. “I don’t think a whole lot has changed. I’m stacking good days on good days at practice and treating every day like a game.”
There were a lot of questions surrounding Knox this offseason with rumors surrounding the Bills possibly trading for a tight end to bolster their offense.
“There’s always going to be noise outside. I gotta focus on myself. I gotta get better every day,” Knox said. “As soon as you start worrying about what other people are saying about the tight end position or the offense, you start to slip and lose focus on what you want to be.”
Knox knows his first two years in Buffalo haven’t been so consistent, but it’s why he put in the extra work this offseason to step up his game. He attended “Tight End University” where he worked with some of the best tight ends around the league, and worked with vision specialist Ryan Harrison in Southern California, who helped him improve his hand-eye coordination.
“I got with him a few times out there,” Knox said. “It just comes down to confidence and being disciplined with my eyes. There were a few times last year where I thought the balls were easy and I’d start looking downfield and had some bad drops."
And while Knox is seeing his hard work pay off, his teammates can’t say enough about the way he’s playing.
“The little things you do right start to add up and he does everything right throughout the week,” Allen said. “To play with him is awesome.”
“The past 3 or 4 weeks, it’s just clicking for him. He’s a heck of a player and I enjoy watching him play and practice,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders added. “He looks good and it’s showing up in games.”
Knox and the offense hope to keep things rolling in Week 5 when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs.
