Jackson Hawes is great

[BullBuchanan]

3 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

? - "Big time drops"? The game was an utter blowout (the Bills could have scored over 40 points easily if they hadn't called off the dogs), and Knox had what appears to be his highest-rated blocking game ever in a contest where the Bills ran it down the Jets' throats all game.

Yes he had two critical drops. What the rest of the team was doing and what the score was are irrelevant to me, because it's a chronic problem with him. He's not reliable as a pass catcher.

[DC Greg]

We’ll lose knox after this season for one year, then he’ll be back for the practice squad legend spot.

[BullBuchanan]

9 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

 

Granted it's early, but Knox leads the snap count for the TE's so don't think it's as straight forward as you make it out to be as could argue he's the #1 TE.  Kincaid has improved in blocking, but still need to get better there too.  My guess is they ask Knox to take a fairly sizable paycut.  If he accepts he stays, if not then he could be gone.

I don't think it really matters much what his snap count is for the purposes of determining a #1 or #2. If they had to get rid of one of Knox or Kincaid, it would definitely be Knox at this point. Him getting more snaps that Kincaid, is really down to Kincaid disappointing rather than Knox commanding reps.

[Alphadawg7]

Hawes has really impressed me.  There are times he looks like a pro bowl OL out there as a TE.  And he is catching passes while Knox is dropping passes.  I think Knox could start on other teams, and I really like him and how he fits in with the team, locker room, and Josh.  BUT - he is certainly expendable at this point with a better pass catcher in Kincaid and now a potentially elite blocker in Hawes who early on at the very least seems to be as capable of a pass catcher (or better) than Knox.

 

I was always of the mindset that Knox is a guy whose contract and role makes him someone that could be moved on from this next offseason, and Hawes early on is upping the potential of that IMHO.  

 

Its also still only 2 games and Knox is beloved top to bottom by everyone on the team and in the organziation, so no lock we move on from him either.  But Hawes keeps playing like this and improving, Beane will have some tough decisions next year.  

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, BullBuchanan said:

I don't think it really matters much what his snap count is for the purposes of determining a #1 or #2. If they had to get rid of one of Knox or Kincaid, it would definitely be Knox at this point. Him getting more snaps that Kincaid, is really down to Kincaid disappointing rather than Knox commanding reps.

 

I don't t think it's the forgone conclusion you make it out to be WRT Knox.  We'll see

[Don Otreply]

7 hours ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Only way knox sticks is a pretty substantial paycut - which he will be getting on the open market anyway.  His cap hit for money already paid out is 7.5, and he has a 1.5M roster bonus due early on, so i'd expect it to be a pre-FA cut.  Adding another year can allow you to spread bonus money further to lower his hit in 2026, but you only do that if he's lessening the cap hit in 2026 with a void year in 2027.

 

He does block quite frequently, and is pretty good at it.  He's also been a solid playoff performer.  

True enough, he has noticeably more postseason TD receptions than Diggs…, 

[Augie]

I don’t like when the love/hate pendulum swings too far one way or the other. I can see him having a hat trick with a false start, a hold and a drop on Thursday before getting injured in a freak Zamboni accident. 

 

I’m just looking for some balance. 

[Einstein]

12 hours ago, Pete said:

Watch the All 22.  Knox was a monster blocker on Sunday.  Many big Bills plays were in part because of Knox’s blocks.

 

Knox ain’t going anywhere, despite some fans wishes.  The front office and coaches know how useful Knox is.  Knox is great friends with Josh.

 

Knox will restructure and retire a Bill.

 

 

Knox can block. No question. The point is Hawes can block AND catch.

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Interesting that despite all the love for Knox, Kincaid and Hawes after the Jets win, no one is touting Reggie Gilliam, who for the first time in a long time has multiple snaps as an inline tight end  from 13 personnel. 
 

They ran the same formation like 5 plays in a row and just slammed the Jets up the gut. There was no doubt they saw their path and stuck with it.

 

I’m very curious to see how these personnel groupings will continue to develop. I think it again speaks to why the lack of investing $$$ into a true #1 WR makes sense for this team; they literally cannot guarantee he’d be on the field. 
 

My favorite play may have been the Elijah Moore TD. After all the inside zone to cook, Brady uses the same action to give the Jet sweet the other way. That was good stuff. 
 

Side rant on Moore aside, we just won’t know from week to week what we’re going to get. These guys want to run the ball, and if they find a personnel grouping that seems to be working, they are going to stick with it. I imagine Hawes will end up somewhere around the 30% snap share at the end of the year. 

 

[Thrivefourfive]

Knox restructures, right?? Hawes has been great. I think Knox will want to keep the band together. Josh loves him. And it’s all good. 

[Rubes]

8 minutes ago, Thrivefourfive said:

Knox restructures, right?? Hawes has been great. I think Knox will want to keep the band together. Josh loves him. And it’s all good. 

I hope so. I get the sense that Brady loves having 3 versatile TEs (plus Gilliam), and I think we’ll start seeing some real creativity with these guys as the season goes on. I think it gives us a lot of ways to really effectively attack a defense.

[nuklz2594]

Put knox,Anderson, and Hawes in backfield to tush push

[BearNorth]

I know this is looking ahead, but If the Bills were to secure the #1 seed, Playoffs run through Buffalo in January.  Having a stud O-line and 4 guys like Kincaid, Knox, Hawes and Gilliam just speaks to me as a really solid thing to have in the frozen tundra.

 

[balln]

I’ve always said. If we make it to the Super Bowl. Reggie gilliam is gonna be the mvp. 100 yards thru the ground and air each. 2 tds 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

17 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Hawes has really impressed me.  There are times he looks like a pro bowl OL out there as a TE.  And he is catching passes while Knox is dropping passes.  I think Knox could start on other teams, and I really like him and how he fits in with the team, locker room, and Josh.  BUT - he is certainly expendable at this point with a better pass catcher in Kincaid and now a potentially elite blocker in Hawes who early on at the very least seems to be as capable of a pass catcher (or better) than Knox.

 

I was always of the mindset that Knox is a guy whose contract and role makes him someone that could be moved on from this next offseason, and Hawes early on is upping the potential of that IMHO.  

 

Its also still only 2 games and Knox is beloved top to bottom by everyone on the team and in the organziation, so no lock we move on from him either.  But Hawes keeps playing like this and improving, Beane will have some tough decisions next year.  

That's where I am. I don't have a hate ***** for Knox. He's had some really nice moments. He was the best TE on the team last year.

 

But honestly, I think we've seen his peak and we are a long way from that.

 

If the argument is that we need Knox for his blocking, Hawes is already better than him and I salivate at the idea of Kromer with him for a few years. If the argument is that Knox is the better receiver I'd agree but that he's both got a bad case of the dropsies and that while Hawes is absolutely not a natural receiver he's at least catching the ball when it goes his way.

 

I'm in no rush to kick Knox out the door, and yes please I would enjoy more 3TE sets thank you very much. But if we are trying to crunch the cap to keep McGovern right now it's no contest for me for him over Knox.

 

And I'm going to say it: two weeks in the rookie on the team making the most impact is Jackson Hawes.

[Cray51]

If Knox is around next year, it's on a restructured deal.  He is simply too expensive.  From what I understand, he loves Buffalo, and does not want to leave.  That would point me to a restructured deal and a reduced role, before signing year to year for a while.

[finn]

For all the criticism of Knox, this might be the best trio of tight ends in Bills history (given Hawes is as good as he appears to be) and maybe the best in the league right now. For instance, I would take these three over McKeller, Metzelaars, and Butch Rolle, as good as they were. The Ravens have Andrews and Likely, but I like our group better. Plus, the arrow is up on Kincaid and Hawes. Kincaid is developing as a blocker, and Hawes may end up being a real asset as a receiver, besides looking like an All-Pro as a blocker. 

[colin]

homer take (but i mean it):

 

so, we run the EP offense, and we now have the multi headed OL who can move, zone, and man block.  we have the goat of all time at qb, we have a really good running back room (i legit think it's top 5 to 8 in the nfl).  we kinda have some wr, sort of (maybe middle of the pack, if keon improves and palmer over performs?).  we now have the multiple multi faceted TE room who all posses some kind of blocking and pass catching threat.  this is the final key in the EP puzzle that the dark ones used to unlock the dynasty chest of evil.

 

on the other side of the ball, we run the mcdefense happy meal, but if you look at when he has had dominant performances he always had a multi headed pass rush, often lead by a monster (hardy the kracken, who was such a tough guy bad azz he become a somewhat viable pro mma fighter with hobbiest training after football kicked him out of being a menace was his guy in NC).  

 

on special teams we have the comedic stylings of bill burr and an older david spade.

[hondo in seattle]

I'm not sure if this was already posted but - to my surprise - Hawes is PFF's highest graded rookie after two weeks...

 

1. TE Jackson Hawes, Buffalo Bills (92.7)

 

Hawes followed up a 93.7 PFF overall grade against the Ravens in Week 1 with an 85.3 mark against the Jets in Week 2. He played 35 snaps, primarily as a run blocker, and earned an 84.8 PFF run-blocking grade on zone runs (18 snaps). 

 

The fifth-round pick from Georgia Tech is the NFL's highest-graded tight end after Week 2 and ranks as the second-best run blocker at the position (83.1), behind teammate Dawson Knox (90.6). While Hawes has dealt with challenges in man schemes (58.3), he’s been excellent in zone, earning an 85.6 zone PFF run-blocking grade across 23 snaps through two weeks. As a receiver, Hawes has caught both of his targets for 34 yards, 29 of which came in Week 1.

 

 

www.pff.com/news/nfl-top-15-rookies-week-2-2025

[nuklz2594]

On 9/16/2025 at 11:06 AM, finn said:

That was an absolute piss-missile from Josh. Reminds me of the one he threw a few years ago to Jake Kumerow. Probably takes awhile to get you used to that velocity. Kudos to him for handling it, even with the bobble. 

Piss missile...writing that one down