ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — While the Buffalo Bills offense may have plenty of new faces, tight end Dawson Knox is back for his sixth year in Buffalo.
After an offseason of change, that makes Knox all of a sudden one of the veteran leaders on the Bills offense.
"I think realizing now, I think, I mean I think Josh (Allen) and Dion (Dawkins) are the only guys on offense that've been here longer than me so I think it's just taking that leadership to the next level," Knox said. "Having that extra confidence to speak up when I see something that might not be going right or really check on a guy that might not be doing well off the field so it's definitely an added level of responsibility but I've been enjoying it so far.
As the Bills go through mandatory minicamp, Knox feels the team has been making strides this offseason.
"Awesome. Kind of working on some stuff after practice, whether it's extra routes we need, new plays," Knox said. "Joe Brady's been doing a great job getting the new installs into us, so I think just, more reps you get on the field, the more prepared we're going to be for camp."
Brady is in his first full offseason as Bills offensive coordinator, and players have raved about the energy he's brought to the offense. Knox adds that Brady's relationship building with his players has also been a positive since being elevated into the coordinator role.
"Getting extra time on task with him, getting comfortable with him, he's been doing an awesome job with communication too," Knox said of Brady. "He kind of pours into us where we feel comfortable going up to his office and saying, 'We like this, don't like that,' and just seeing that two way street has been pretty cool so far."
Something that Knox is hoping to see more of this season is continued use of the two tight end sets with Dalton Kincaid, who Knox says has even more confidence going into his second year in the NFL.
"Something that I'm most excited for," Knox said of the two tight end sets. "Obviously, I might be a little biased, but the more you can get in 12 personnel, the defense has to respect the run and the pass. It's just fun having that versatility, something I think we're going to keep building on."