For as great as the Bills were passing the ball during the 2020 season, very little of that production came from tight ends.

In total, the four TEs who played collectively accounted for 42 receptions for 458 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Those 42 catches were 9.8% of the team's total. The 458 yards was 10.4% of the team's total.

There were 19 TEs in the NFL that caught more than 42 passes themselves this season. Eighteen TEs had more receiving yards than the Bills group as a whole.

General Manager Brandon Beane made it clear that he was well aware of how that position group performed this season.

"I thought it was up and down, to be honest with you," Beane said during his end of the season Zoom call last week. "We never really got that position; at the end of the year I thought we did a little bit. Dawson [Knox] kind of started getting his groove, but it was never where I felt the opposing defense was like, man, we got to stop their tight ends from going off."

That candid response from the Bills GM makes me think that TE is a point of emphasis this offseason.

​Beane said he does want to continue to develop the young players at the position. He called Knox's season inconsistent. One could argue that has been the right word to describe his first two years with the Bills.

Knox finished 2020 with 24 receptions for 288 yards and three TDs in 12 games. He missed time throughout the season with a concussion, calf injury, and testing positive for COVID-19. 

Drops were still an issue at times, but did improve from his rookie year. According to Pro Football Reference, Knox dropped four of his 44 targets this season, a 9.1% drop rate. That's cut in more than half form what he did the season before, dropping 10 of his 50 targets, a 20% clip.

Knox has flashed at times throughout his first two years in the league, but not regularly enough for him to be the slam dunk for 2021. Still, he's young, cheap, and will be in the Bills plans moving forward.

Beyond Knox, no one currently on the roster did much of anything this past season.

Lee Smith was Mr. Touchdown, with two of his four grabs coming in the endzone. But really he was exclusively used for his blocking abilities. An added wrinkle coming to his status just the other day, when Smith eluded to possible retirement when on a Nashville radio station. If he does indeed hang'em up, the Bills would save $2.25 million on the salary cap.

Reggie Gilliam came to training camp as an UDFA fullback. Upon making the initial 53-man roster, Gilliam shifted to TE. He caught two passes for 16 yards and a TD.

2020 was a lost year for Tommy Sweeney. He was on the sidelines from the start of training camp with a broken foot. Then, he wound up on the COVID-19 list when Knox tested positive. Ultimately, Sweeney was shutdown for the remainder of the year after doctors found he had myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. It's a condition that's been linked to those who have had COVID-19. You would have to assume it's wait and see how things progress on that health front before knowing whether or not the 2019 7th round pick will be in the mix moving forward.

Nate Becker recently signed a Reserve/Future deal after spending another season on the Bills practice squad.

Tyler Kroft restructured his contract last offseason to make him an unrestricted free agent now. His time with the Bills definitely was a disappointment, dealing with injuries and ultimately finding himself as a healthy scratch most of the back half of this past season. I do not anticipate he will be re-signed.

I do, however, think Beane will bring in at least one fresh face to the TE room.

Free agency has some interesting thoughts, with names like Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and Gerald Everett on the market. This issue will be whether or not their price tags are too high, which may be likely. Still, this may be a position the Bills need to consider investing in on the offensive side, along with on the offensive line.

The NFL Draft also has some solid options that obviously would be cheaper.

Whatever the Bills decide to do, they'll be looking for more than they've gotten recently from the position.​