The former Vikings TE is creating more intrigue for the Bills as preseason gets ready to kick off
The Buffalo Bills’ tight end room was a fairly predictable projection last year. Dawson Knox was the well-paid veteran. Dalton Kincaid was the first round rookie. Quintin Morris was the multi-year depth player.
And so 53-man roster cut-down day came and went with little surprise. Morris making the team may have been a shock to some in 2022, when he beat out free-agent signing O.J. Howard for a spot on the roster despite Howard possessing guaranteed money in his contract. But in 2023, it was an expected event.
So many believed it would be the case again in 2024. Although Morris may still yet make cut-down day less eventful by continuing his NFL career with the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green in 2021, there’s a little more interest in the position than there was at this time last year.
Enter Zach Davidson, all 6’7” inches of him. Davidson entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings (#168 overall) out of Central Missouri. The catch? He was recruited to college as a punter. His second season with the Mules resulted in him not just achieving an All-MIAA honorable mention nod at his natural position, but also taking time as a second tight end for the team. He continued playing both positions as a junior, with even more success as a tight end, before entering the draft and being selected by Minnesota.
Davidson tested very well athletically, and combined with his relative newness to the position, it caused intrigue among analysts and teams alike.
Zach Davidson is a player you should keep a very close eye on during the later rounds in the NFL Draft.
— Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) April 4, 2021
He lands in my top ten at the position and could certainly be one of the more fantasy relevant TEs in this class. Incredibly pleased with his RAS here.
Remember his name. pic.twitter.com/LDAgLOjE4p
Ever hear of a TE named Zach Davidson? Out of Central Missouri and they line him up all over the place and he can do this. He's TOUGH as well pic.twitter.com/0fcBOdhP5v
— Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) April 25, 2021
As one may expect for a player as raw as Davidson, he was stationed on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad for the majority of his time there. He was released on August 30 2022 and was signed by the Bills to their own practice squad the next day. He missed the 2023 season with a knee injury, but is healthy now and making enough noise at training camp to take what is still expected to be the case (Morris making the team as TE3) and shine a smidgen of doubt on it.
Davidson even got some praise from quarterback Josh Allen, who said he had “a lot of juice.” Reps with Allen are very intentional for the Bills, and the fact that Davidson has any at all is worth noting. AJ Feldman of WROC-TV noted that Davidson had been “turning heads” at training camp, while Erik Turner of Cover 1 remarked after taking in training camp that Davidson “just seems to do everything right.” Alex Brasky of the Batavia Daily News commented that Davidson was “a red zone machine.” This level of call-out for a back-of-the-roster tight end is unusual enough that it warrants attention.
6'7'' tight end Zach Davidson is turning heads at training camp so far.
— AJ Feldman (@AJFeldmanTV) August 2, 2024
But Davidson actually got his start in football as a punter thanks to a couple of pranksters and a mailbox.#Bills #BillsMafia @News_8 pic.twitter.com/T1dEBmGc4o
Zach Davidson and Deion Jones getting in some extra work. Davidson just seems to do everything right. Yesterday he paced his routes well to be open as the second and third options and consistently worked back to the ball to be QB friendly. Not a flashy player but always does his… pic.twitter.com/p49qGzzlIb
— Cover 1 (@Cover1) July 29, 2024
Zach Davidson is a red zone machine. Touchdown from Shane Buechele. Group celebration after, because of course #Bills #BillsMafia
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 2, 2024
Preseason special teams will be a key factor in determining whether or not Davidson can usurp Morris from the TE3 spot, but the juice Davidson brings cannot be understated, especially to a team with a recent changing of the guard at key leadership positions who may be searching for a different vibe in the locker room in 2024. When preseason kicks off, when Davidson is playing and with what group will be more predictive of the coaching staff’s opinion of him than how he’s actually performing, but it will be the first widely available stake in the ground on whether or not Davidson has more than a puncher’s chance of pulling off the TE3 upset. If all things are equal, maybe they roll with the high-energy athletic monster who can also double as an emergency punter in a pinch.
...and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts!