The NFL is a never-ending evolving league where teams are always looking to catch up to what is considered “the standard at that time”. One recent trend that has really kicked into gear is getting a quality blocking tight end who can be an extra protector but also be able down field to serve as a weapon for the quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills drafted that help last year in the 5th round when they selected Jackson Hawes out of Georgia Tech, who surprisngly shined in his rookie year with the Bills. He was the Bills' first offensive draft pick last season, and it confused Bills fans because Buffalo already had Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid.
However, Hawes was arguably the best tight end the Bills had and he was primarily a run-blocker. He did manage to reel in 3 touchdowns, showing the versatility that he brings to the team. While Knox and Kincaid are the primary pass-catchers in the group, Hawes is the one that helped contributed to James Cook leading the league in rushing yards in 2025.
Jackson Hawes gets praise he deserves heading into 2026
Gennaro Filice from NFL.com listed each AFC team's "most underappreciated" player for the 2026 season and to no surprise, Hawes was listed for Buffalo.
"Jacksonville’s second-round selection of Nate Boerkircher, in particular, sent shockwaves across Draft Twitter. How does a blocking TE come off the board in such a lofty slot (No. 56 overall)? Well, it feels like Boerkircher and Co. owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Hawes. Despite catching just 16 balls as a rookie last season, Hawes played a significant role in Buffalo’s offense as a blocking specialist." said Filice.
"With the 6-foot-4, 253-pounder enhancing Buffalo’s blocking, James Cook III just won his first rushing title while the Bills led the league with an average of 159.6 ground yards per game." Filice added.
Hawes already excelled under Joe Brady when he was the offensive coordinator. Now that Brady is taking over as the new head coach and still calling plays, there is no reason why Hawes shouldn’t be able to be successful again.
It’s players like Hawes that allow others to shine. I’m not saying that Buffalo wouldn’t have been successful without him, but he does add an element that the Bills were missing for a little bit. Now with a good amount of offensive continuity returning, along with added contributors like DJ Moore and Skyler Bell, Hawes will potentially have the chance to help out in more ways than he did last season.
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