Dawson Alan Knox (born November 14, 1996) is an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
for the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...
and was selected by the Bills in the third round of the
2019 NFL draft
The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
.
Early life
Knox attended St. Paul Christian Academy and
Brentwood Academy in
Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.[wide receiver
A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...]
and
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
for the
high school football
High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
team. He played in only one game his senior season due to an ankle injury.
College career
Knox joined the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...
(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
The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
.
College statistics
Professional career
The
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
selected Knox in the third round with the 96th overall pick in the
2019 NFL draft
The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
. 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
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
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 played 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
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, 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 six 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. In Week 4, in a 40–0 victory over the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
, he had two receiving touchdowns. In Week 5 against the Chiefs, he had three receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown in the 38–20 victory. During
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
, 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.
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. Knox finished the 2022 season with 48 receptions for 517 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He scored a receiving touchdown in the Bills' 34–31
Wild Card Round victory over the
Miami Dolphins.
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. On October 26, 2023, Knox was placed on injured reserve after undergoing wrist surgery. He was activated on December 9. He had 22 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 season. In the Wild Card Round win against the Steelers, he had a receiving touchdown. In the 2024 season, Knox had 22 receptions for 311 yards and one touchdown.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Buffalo Bills franchise records
*Most touchdown receptions by a tight end, season: 9
Personal life
Knox is a
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
. Knox has partnered wit
P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative an organization founded by former Bills punter
Brian Moorman, to support the organization through various initiatives.
Knox's younger brother, Luke, played linebacker for the
Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...
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.
On November 30, 2023, Knox became engaged to personal trainer Alex Seefeldt. He announced the engagement via
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
on December 3.
References
External links
Buffalo Bills bioOle Miss Rebels bio*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Dawson
1996 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Brentwood, Tennessee
Players of American football from Williamson County, Tennessee
American football tight ends
Ole Miss Rebels football players
Buffalo Bills players
American Conference Pro Bowl players