Bills’ Second-Year Tight End Projected to Take Bigger Step Forward in 2026

The second of Buffalo’s two fifth-round draft choices a year ago made the most of his playing time during his rookie campaign. Jackson Hawes bears watching.

Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Keleki Latu (83) and tight end Jackson Hawes (85) and cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) take the field to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Late last week, SI.com NFL writer Eva Geitheim put together a list of breakout candidates for each of the 32 teams in the league. In fact, she suggested on more than one occasion that a club had multiple players primed for a big year in 2026.

When it came to the Buffalo Bills, now under the command of new head coach Joe Brady, she pointed to a performer that was the 173rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft from Georgia Tech University. The team already had its share of talent at the tight end position, but that didn’t stop general manager Brandon Beane from adding another intriguing prospect to the mix.

Buffalo Bills’ tight end room is absolutely loaded

Sep 18, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (85) celebrates with tight end Dawson Knox (88) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

“Jackson Hawes caught just 16 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2025,” explained Geitheim, “but when he got his opportunities, he proved impactful for the Bills’ offense—particularly when Josh Allen began improvising and extending plays…”

“He’s a blocker first and has to compete for targets with two other good tight ends in Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid,” added Geitheim, “but his stout blocking should lead to more playing time and tapping into more of his potential as a pass catcher.”

TE Jackson Hawes impressed during his debut season in 2025

Jackson Hawes TD | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

During his rookie campaign, the 6’4”, 253-pound played in all 17 regular-season contests and made eight starts. He also appeared in both of Buffalo’s playoff contests, earning a start in the wild card round at Jacksonville.

He played in a totaled of 487 offensive snaps and 79 on special teams during the regular season. Hawes saw a combined 47 offensive snaps in the postseason split with the Jaguars (22) and Broncos (25), and 10 more on special teams in the overtime loss at Denver.

Hawes saw enough offensive snaps to be ranked by Pro Football Focus, and he wound up as the service's No. 4 tight end behind San Francisco’s Georger Kittle, Kincaid, and fellow 2025 draft classmate Colston Loveland—the latter leading the Bears in catches, receiving yards, while being tied for the team lead in TD receptions.

Jackson Hawes amongst 13 Bills w/ at least 10 targets in 2025

9th in targets (19)

1st in positive play rate (78.9%) - Kincaid 2nd at 63.3%

2nd in EPA/target (0.70)

4th in EPA

2nd in yds/route run (2.1)

4th in yds/target (9.8)

Here’s all 19 targets: pic.twitter.com/dpXMLBuhuu

— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) May 28, 2026

It's interesting to note that Hawes was targeted only 19 times during the regular season and not once in the playoffs. Still, he finished in the Top 10 of PFF’s tight end ranking in receiving (9th), run blocking (3rd), and pass blocking (7th). It would be a major surprise if Hawes’s playing time doesn't increase dramatically in his second NFL season.

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