Introduction
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.
Early years
Knox attended St. Paul Christian Academy and Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee. 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.
College career
Knox joined the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as a walk-on fullback in 2015. He played at Ole Miss until 2018. During his career, he had 39 receptions for 605 yards. After his junior season in 2018, he decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
Collegiate statistics
| Dawson Knox | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 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 | Ole Miss | 18 | 39 | 605 | 15.5 | 0 | ||
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical 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) |
4.27 s | 7.12 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) |
16 reps | |||||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
The Buffalo Bills selected Knox in the third round with the 96th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Knox signed his rookie contract with the team on June 14, 2019.
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. Knox had an up-and-down rookie season, catching 28 of 50 targets for 388 yards and two touchdowns.
On October 24, 2020, Knox was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus. He was activated on November 5. Knox would play in 12 games, starting seven, in 2020, catching 24 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns.
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. In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, Knox recorded 6 catches for 42 yards and a touchdown during the 38–24 loss.
Knox became a more prominent part of the Bills' passing attack in 2021. 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.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | BUF | 15 | 14 | 49 | 587 | 12.0 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 42 | 32 | 101 | 1,263 | 12.5 | 53 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | BUF | 3 | 2 | 10 | 65 | 6.5 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 7 | 98 | 14.0 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 5 | 18 | 177 | 9.8 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
Knox is a Christian. Knox has partnered with P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative to support the organization through various initiatives. Knox had a younger brother, Luke, who passed away on August 17th, 2022.