Jackson Hawes may not be the first name that jumps to mind when people talk about the Bills, but his work has started to get noticed in the right circles.
That became clear when Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft mentioned Hawes during an interview with Kay Adams on the Up and Adams Show. Adams asked Kraft which tight ends he had watched most while recovering from a season-ending injury last year, and Kraft pointed to San Francisco’s George Kittle before bringing up Hawes.
“ I’ve watched a lot of San Fran, so a lot of George [Kittle]...there’s the rookie for the Bills [Jackson] Hawes, he’s a great blocker. ” said Kraft.
For a player who entered the league as a fifth-round pick in 2025, that kind of praise matters. The Bills made Hawes their first offensive selection that year, taking him out of Georgia Tech, and the choice puzzled plenty of fans at the time. Buffalo already had Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid at tight end, and the team still needed more help at wide receiver, so the pick drew plenty of frustration.
But Hawes has quickly shown why the Bills valued him. He wasn’t brought in to be the featured pass catcher in the room, yet he still finished the year with 3 touchdowns. His bigger impact came as a run blocker, where he was among the best in the league.
That role fit the way Buffalo lined up. The Bills were one of the teams that regularly came out with two tight ends on the line of scrimmage, using Hawes as the extra blocker to strengthen protection and open things up for the run game.
That help mattered. With that added body up front, James Cook went on to lead the league in rushing yards last year, and Hawes played a major part in making that possible.
Now heading into his second season, Hawes has a chance to build on what he already showed. Under Joe Brady, he’ll have another shot to carve out an even bigger role for an offense that has already found a real edge in his blocking.
In Other News...
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With the new Bills stadium rising in Orchard Park, the town is already moving to tighten how game-day parking works around Highmark Stadium. Town officials are developing a permit process for commercial businesses and private residents who want to offer event parking within a one-mile radius, a step that would formalize a scene that has long been part of the gameday experience for fans heading to Bills home games.
The Orchard Park Town Board has also approved a moratorium on expanding private parking facilities near the stadium, signaling a more controlled approach as the area gets ready for the next era. For Bills fans, the changes could alter the familiar scramble for a spot and reshape some of the parking options that have been part of the tailgating routine for years. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Need To Prepare For A Very Different Game Day
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For Buffalo supporters, the big adjustment is not just inside the stadium but around it, where entry points, parking patterns and road closures now matter as much as timing your arrival. The easiest move for fans planning a trip this year is to check the Bills information before leaving home, because the old routine is not necessarily the right one anymore. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Have A Backfield Battle Fans Should Be Watching Closely
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For Wheeler, the task now is less about flash and more about showing he can handle the details, from learning the playbook to making his mark on special teams. That kind of path is often what keeps an undrafted or lesser-known runner in the mix deep into camp, and it gives Buffalo another intriguing name to watch as the competition unfolds. Wheelers preparation has put him in position to keep pushing, and the next stretch will show whether he can turn that early attention into something lasting. [Read more 🡒]