TE position is actually looking pretty promising

[78thealltimegreat]

After watching Tommy Sweeney today seems between him, Knox and Kroft and whatever Lee Smith can actually do we don’t have a glaring need at TE anymore which is nice ?  

[Special K]

Sweeney didn’t get out of bounds on the final drive like he needed to(McD was coaching him up after that mistake), but other than that, he had a solid game.

 

I like the TE group the Bills have as well.

[John from Riverside]

I had already said much earlier in the season that we should have just been rolling with Knox and Sweeney and that those were our TE's of the future.......

 

Knox is a burner who can block and give big plays

 

Sweeney is that blocking TE who can catch a ball

 

 

inactivating Kroft and the human flag machine would have allowed us to keep Duke and Yeldon active

[Tesla03]

we should be rolling out 2/3 TE sets like the Ravens do. get rid of Demarco and Lee smith. 

 

line up kroft or sweeney in the slot with Beasley, Brown and Duke williams on the outside. 

[Dkollidas]

I think next season we’ll likely see one or both of Kroft and Smith cut.

 

Even if they’re not, and all 4 are kept, Knox & Sweeney will be the starters. 
 

Kroft can’t stay healthy, and Smith is a walking penalty machine. 

[Dan Darragh]

I remember a game a few years ago when Lee Smith got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty even though he was a healthy scratch.  Standing on the sidelines in street clothes he got in the way of an official and knocked him down.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

12 minutes ago, Tesla03 said:

we should be rolling out 2/3 TE sets like the Ravens do. get rid of Demarco and Lee smith. 

 

line up kroft or sweeney in the slot with Beasley, Brown and Duke williams on the outside. 

False start, number 85.

[Hebert19]

Like the group.  Would like more with a big wr 

[Mark Vader]

I like this group. We have something to really build on with Knox & Sweeney.

 

If they choose to keep Kroft next year, it wouldn't bother me.

 

We can address other offensive needs during the off season.

[GreggTX]

I agree OP.  It's hard to say where Knox and Sweeney will be in their development in 2 years and they clearly have a long way to go, but I'm liking them so far. A big WR is our biggest need along with OT. Move Ford inside. Move Dawkins to RT and draft or sign a franchise LT. Resign Spain too.

[eSJayDee]

We also have Croom who showed promise as a developing receiver.

[NickelCity]

I'd like Knox to spend the offseason working on his hands. He could really become something if he improves in that area.

[Xwnyer]

3 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I had already said much earlier in the season that we should have just been rolling with Knox and Sweeney and that those were our TE's of the future.......

 

Knox is a burner who can block and give big plays

 

Sweeney is that blocking TE who can catch a ball

 

 

inactivating Kroft and the human flag machine would have allowed us to keep Duke and Yeldon active

Make smith and kraft inactive in place of Sweeney and duke 

[ganesh]

2 hours ago, Xwnyer said:

Make smith and kraft inactive in place of Sweeney and duke 

It is possible that Andre Roberts may not be ready ?  If so then Duke will be playing and probably getting reps instead of Foster.

[Fixxxer]

As I posted in another thread, both Knox and Seweendy are the future at the position for this team and the future starts next weekend. 

 

 

[atlbillsfan1975]

Kroft, Knox, and Sweeney are a very solid TE group. All three can block AND catch. Lee Smith has to go. 
 

And not a chance in hell the Bills sign Hooper from Atlanta. Knox has a better ceiling than Hooper. Sweeney actually reminds me more of Hooper. Hooper struggled his first year in the league, he really started coming on the last two years. 

[SCBills]

It was pretty eye opening to watch our backups vs the Jets starters, and the best WR and best TE in the game (on either side), were typical healthy scratches for us.  
 

Sweeney looked very athletic and fluid out there. 

[Happy]

I like Knox and Sweeney; lots of promise with those two.

Kroft I wouldn't mind keeping if there isn't a bubble type player, such as Duke, that could play instead.  Not saying Duke is better than Kroft, just that Kroft's penchant for being injured diminishes his value.  Not sure I see the need to keep Lee Smith.

[Phil The Thrill]

7 hours ago, Dkollidas said:

I think next season we’ll likely see one or both of Kroft and Smith cut.

 

Even if they’re not, and all 4 are kept, Knox & Sweeney will be the starters. 
 

Kroft can’t stay healthy, and Smith is a walking penalty machine. 

It’s gotta be Kroft because Lee Smith can block

[BigBuff423]

The TE position is one of the hardest in the NFL to master. It requires catching, running with the ball, running with the blocking assignment, run and pass blocking, picking up protections and knowing the entire Offense, as in where everyone is supposed to be - not  just your route or your block. I've posted this a number of times in the past when someone wanted to Draft a TE in the 1st (or even 2nd Round) when people were mentioning Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Jason Witten, etc. Every one of those guys were taken in the 3rd Round or later. Gronk was a 2nd Round pick but other than Tony Gonzalez who was a 1st Rounder, few (if any), have lived up to the billing. 

 

TEs take time to develop, each of the above referenced TEs except for Gronk took at least 2 years to develop into their full potential. I think the Bills have their duo in Sweeney and Knox, with a solid guy in Kroft. Lee Smith is fine for now, but I'd prefer Sweeney in that position because I think he's a better catcher and athlete in terms of receiving but big enough to do the blocking work. 

 

Knox and Sweeney will seemingly "come out of nowhere" to people outside of Buffalo, but next year and 2021 will be years where we truly start to see their value.