Overview

• Pro Football Focus has Hawes at a 91.8 overall grade through Week 3, ranking him both the NFL’s top tight end and the top rookie.
• Buffalo has expanded its three–tight end packages to 9.22% of snaps, with passes from 13 personnel generating a 1.03 EPA per attempt, per SumerSports.
• Used primarily as an in-line blocker, he has caught all three targets for 39 yards with a Week 3 shovel-pass touchdown against Miami, matching preseason praise from OC Joe Brady about his blocking.
• The tight end room is excelling as Dalton Kincaid ranks No. 13 and Dawson Knox No. 20 in PFF grades, giving Buffalo three top-20 performers at the position.
• Some analysts argue Hawes’ presence in heavy sets is creating favorable coverage for Kincaid’s downfield work, a plausible early-season dynamic rather than a proven cause.