Overlooked Bills' Tight End provides valuable experience to younger roster

Set for his third season with the Buffalo Bills, TE Quintin Morris is becoming more of a leader.

Oct 15, 2023; Orchard Park, NY; Buffalo Bills tight end Quintin Morris (85) reacts to scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second half at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

It's understandably easy for a backup tight end to get lost in the shadows of Buffalo Bills' starters Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.

Both from Power 5 college programs, Kincaid and Knox were sought-after draft picks, especially for their athletic ability as pass-catchers in a modern-day NFL offense. Therefore, it's no surprise that undrafted Quintin Morris, who competed collegiately for Bowling Green, has flown under the radar since joining the Bills.

Over the past two years, Morris has played in 29 of a possible 34 regular season games for Buffalo and accounted for one touchdown catch in each season. In addition to totaling 466 career offensive snaps, the 25-year-old tight end has played nearly 80 percent of special teams snaps.

With the Bills losing veterans like center Mitch Morse, safety Jordan Poyer and special teams ace Siran Neal this offseason, Morris's experience makes him a valuable piece to the operations in Orchard Park.

"It definitely means like guys got to step up," said Morris during an interview with WGR's Sal Capaccio following minicamp practice. "Like I was saying the other day, like I feel like I'm a vet, like, you know, I got guys coming up asking me what's going on and how to go about things.”

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Morris, who made TD receptions in a 2022 win over Miami and a 2023 triumph over old friend Brian Daboll and the New York Giants, will likely win a roster spot due to his special teams contributions, especially considering an increased importance on kickoff coverage stemming from the offseason rule change.

"We got to find a way to make plays happen, especially on the kickoff side of it," said Morris.

Even if Kincaid and Knox prevent Morris from getting reps of offense, the unsung tight end can still provide value on the 53-man roster.

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