HEADLINES

Dawson Knox

Extra Points: Riddick, Jeremiah, Bengals, Bills, Knox

July 6th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There seems to be a growing trend of NFL media personalities making the jump to front offices. Mike Mayock recently left NFL Network to become the Raiders’ GM, and since then we’ve heard rumors about a handful of big names. Back in May we heard that the Jets were targeting Daniel Jeremiah, also of NFL Network, for a prominent role in their front office. New Jets GM Joe Douglas apparently wanted him, but Jeremiah wasn’t interested. Now, it turns out the Jets aren’t the only ones that have pursued the 41-year-old draft analyst. “Jeremiah is continually rebuffing NFL advances,” according to Lindsay Jones of The Athletic.

Jones also writes that she thinks “we’ll continue to hear Louis Riddick’s name a lot in personnel circles.” Riddick, an ESPN analyst, interviewed for the Giants’ GM job back in late 2017 before they ultimately hired Dave Gettleman. Both Riddick and Jeremiah are very highly regarded, so it’s not shocking news. Still, it’s an interesting development. How Mayock fares in Oakland might go a long way in determining how many teams take this approach in the future.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Saturday evening:

  • The Bengals suffered a tough blow a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that Jonah Williams would likely miss his entire rookie season with a shoulder injury. Williams was the 11th overall pick in April’s draft, and Cincy was counting on him to start at left tackle. Cordy Glenn will slide over from guard to take his place, but the Bengals are now pretty thin at tackle. As such, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic expects the Bengals to make a move to add a tackle “whether a veteran cut, waiver pickup or trade.” The Bengals also have to find a replacement for Glenn at left guard, and last we heard 2016 fifth-round pick Christian Westerman is the early favorite. There aren’t too many appealing veteran options on the open market, so perhaps the Bengals will try to swing a trade. With Glenn on the left side and former Giants castoff Bobby Hart on the right side, the Bengals don’t have an enviable situation at tackle.
  • It’s often said that tight end is the hardest position to transition to the pro game from college at other than quarterback. Rookie tight ends don’t usually make huge contributions, as it takes them a while to adjust. Don’t tell that to Dawson Knox and the Bills. Knox, a third-round pick from Ole Miss, has a shot to start from Week 1 for Buffalo, according to Vic Carruci of the Buffalo News. Knox never was used a ton as a receiver, racking up only 284 yards in his last year at Ole Miss, but he did average an impressive 18.9 yards per catch. The Bills finally let Charles Clay go this past offseason, but they also signed Tyler Kroft to a three-year deal, who profiles as Knox’s main competition. Kroft suffered a broken foot back in May and might not be ready for the start of the regular season, which could force Buffalo’s hand with Knox.

Bills Wrap Draft Class

June 14th, 2019 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills’ draft class is in the books. On Friday, the Bills announced the signing of third-round tight end Dawson Knox to a four-year contract, putting a bow on their eight-man group. 

Knox skipped his senior year at Ole Miss to turn pro, with the belief that he would go in the second round. Knox slipped a bit further, but he still has a solid opportunity ahead of him. In the spring, Knox impressed with the first-teamers while Tyler Kroft and Jason Croom nursed injuries.

The tight end did not score a touchdown last year and was overshadowed somewhat by the presence of A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. Still, he possesses high-end athleticism for the tight end position, as evidenced by his 18.9 yards per catch in 2018.

Here’s the full rundown of the Bills’ draft class, via PFR’s tracker:

Extra Points: Brown, Draft, Johnson, Texans

March 30th, 2019 at 8:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Antonio Brown saga was the defining story of the NFL season. It dominated news coverage in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, all the way up until he was finally traded to the Raiders. But the drama apparently didn’t end there. Brown’s trade has implications for every team in the league, and for every player who may want to force his way out in the future. The league has taken note, and teams are apparently quite concerned. “Multiple high-ranking sources” told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that they’re fearful “Brown forcing his way out of a contract with three years left” will set a “dangerous” precedent.

Executives were outraged by the move according to Fowler, and one source derided the fact that Brown essentially acted like a free agent in picking his new team. “Other star players see this and might want to do the same,” another source said. Another source was surprised that Pittsburgh decided to cave and meet Brown’s demands instead of playing hardball, saying it was “un-Steeler-like” of the organization. It remains to be seen whether Brown’s actions will actually inspire other players to follow suit, but the league is clearly getting ready to fight back in case they do.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Draft talk is starting to heat up, and the latest rumblings we’re hearing are from a report out of Ole Miss’ pro day from Tony Pauline of Draftanalyst.com. Pauline reports that the Jaguars and Broncos are both “very interested” in tight end Dawson Knox. Pauline also writes that the Cowboys have been “throwing a lot of love” Knox’s way. All three teams have unsettled futures at tight end, so the interest makes a lot of sense. Knox is in the second tier of tight ends behind the top group, and could be a nice pickup sometime in the middle rounds.
  • Legendary receiver Andre Johnson has joined the Texans’ front office as an adviser, and he doesn’t plan on stopping there. Johnson wants to work his way up through the organization and eventually be a front office head one day, he told John McClain of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). “I’m learning the business of the game. I thought I might want to be a GM or run a team. I want to do everything I can to help the Texans win their first Super Bowl,” the future Hall of Fame member said. Johnson was one of the best receivers in the game for a long time, and holds nearly every Texans receiving record that there is. Johnson was hired last month to work with the team’s coaching and scouting staffs, according to a separate post from McClain.