Hawes Effect: How rookie tight end is reshaping Bills' offensive identity

The Buffalo Bills are rewriting their offensive blueprint, and it starts with a fifth-round rookie tight end who’s turning heads.

Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills have shown an identity through the first two weeks of the season, relying heavily on 12 and 13 personnel.

It's simple to remember, the first number represents the number of running backs in the formation, and the second represents the tight ends. In years past, the Bills used a sixth offensive lineman in similar packages, but this year they are taking a different approach thanks to the ability of a rookie tight end.

With the addition of blocking extraordinaire Jackson Hawes, the Bills have the ability to utilize three tight ends in 13-personnel.

Bills' offensive line coach Aaron Kromer called Hawes, "the best blocking tight end this early in his career that he has ever coached."

Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) runs past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders (28) | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On a recent episode of One Bills Live, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky talked about the Bills' offensive identity.

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"Through two weeks, the commonalities of the offenses that are playing well in the NFL stand out. The commonality is there's a willingness to get bigger bodies on the field", said Orlovsky. He continued, "The commonality is you're willing to put the quarterback under center and run the football and try to control the line of scrimmage and control the pace of the game."

Secret sauce behind Buffalo’s offense

Orlovsky added, "When they (Bills) put those tight ends on the field, there's like a 70 percent, this is kind of what they're going to do or be, and then there's that 30 percent that makes them not overly predictable. You know, they'll put them all on the field and run weak zone. They'll put them on the field, and they'll run duo. They'll put them all on the field, and they'll throw and drop back. They'll put them on the field, and they'll get into 4X1. They'll put them all on the field and run, you know, an under center play action. And so, I think that's the secret sauce."

Is a fifth-round rookie tight end the key to unlocking another level of the Bills' offense?

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Hawes has been on the field in the Bills' 13 personnel, replacing primarily Alec Anderson, who was the sixth lineman on the field; however, this made the Bills predictable.

With Hawes on the field, it allows the Bills so much more versatility, and we saw that against the Ravens with Hawes' late fourth-quarter reception.

Aug 9, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter (96) rushes against Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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