Each of the 11 players on the New York Jets’ defense must have known Josh Allen was going to hand the ball to James Cook.
Jets first-year coach Aaron Glenn loaded the box because there was no reason for the Buffalo Bills to pass. They were at the Jets’ 31-yard line with a 20-point lead late in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium in Week 2.
The Jets still couldn’t stop him because of a personnel grouping that the Bills may lean on again Thursday night when they host the Miami Dolphins in a Week 3 matchup at Highmark Stadium.
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Bills tight end Dawson Knox has four catches on seven targets through two games this season. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady put three tight ends on the field for a zone run play to the strong side, and the trio cleared the way for Cook to gain 14 yards on first down.
Their line moved toward the left side as soon as center Connor McGovern snapped the ball. Dalton Kincaid, lined up next to left tackle Dion Dawkins, got two hands on a linebacker. Dawson Knox, lined up to the right of rookie tight end Jackson Hawes on the opposite side, pulled left and eventually blocked cornerback Brandon Stephens as Cook cut to explode through the hole. Hawes cleared the weak side by getting two hands on Braiden McGregor and mauling the backup defensive end.
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“Those guys are huge for us,” left guard David Edwards said of the Bills’ tight ends. “What’s great about that group is just how selfless they are. In a game like that where the run is effective, heavier personnel and tight-end stuff is working, they’re willing to do whatever it takes. For them to be able to say, this is what it’s going to take to win this week and block people, it opens up so much stuff for the offense.”
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Williams started 11 games for the Bills last season after Milano tore his bicep in the preseason. Even once bumped from the starting role, Williams still finished the season leading the Bills with 114 tackles. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich has seen a different level of confidence from Williams this season.
According to Sumer Sports, the Bills have used 13 personnel – three tight ends with one running back and one receiver – on 11 plays through two games, fifth-most in the NFL and a rate nearly twice as high as the league average.
All but one of those plays have been runs, including Cook’s 44-yard touchdown against the Jets, and the exception was Hawes’ 29-yard reception in the fourth quarter of Buffalo’s 41-40 come-from-behind win over Baltimore in Week 1.
Heavy personnel groupings have been an important changeup for the Bills’ offense since Brian Daboll called plays for Allen, but their usage has increased since Brady replaced former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in Week 11 of the 2023 season.
The jumbo package was a highlight of the Bills' success in 2024. They used a sixth offensive lineman, Alec Anderson, on 14.1% of their offensive plays, the highest mark in the NFL and nearly three times the league average (5.1%). Buffalo averaged 5.06 yards on its 109 rushes and completed 23 of 36 passes out of that look.
Through two games this season, however, we’ve barely seen the jumbo package and Hawes’ blocking ability is one reason for the change. The Bills weren’t surprised to see how advanced Hawes looked as a blocker in training camp. Brady told reporters last week that Hawes was the best blocking tight end the team has evaluated since the coach arrived in 2022. But Hawes’ ability to process the offense and play fast gave the coaching staff “all the trust in the world” in the fifth-round rookie, Brady said.
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“The thing I'll say about our guys is there's a lot of pride in that room,” Babich said.
As a result, the Bills already have run half as many plays out of 13 personnel as they did last season. According to The Buffalo News’ play tracking from 2024, the team used three tight ends on 22 offensive plays during the regular season and, surprisingly, most of those were passes. The Bills completed 12 of 16 passes for 125 yards and gained just 11 yards on six rushes. It’s a small sample size, but Buffalo ranks first in the NFL in expected points added this season when in 13 personnel.
“Look, we still obviously play with the jumbo, and that's in every game – that's going to be different,” Brady said Monday. “From a defensive coordinator position, they have to always prepare for that, right? And whether we go three tight ends, whether we still continue to utilize our jumbo, mixing in different types of 12 personnel groupings, just (Hawes’) versatility and him being able to handle that allows us to kind of do a lot of different things. And it's something that, as the season goes, we hope that it continues to evolve.”
The tight ends’ impact extends beyond the running game. Kincaid, Knox and Hawes account for 26.02% of the Bills’ target share, with Kincaid catching a position-high eight passes on 10 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. But the trio also embodies the mentality Brady instilled in the offense last season, known around One Bills Drive as “Everybody Eats.”
The tight ends are as engaged on run plays as they are when the reigning MVP is throwing the ball. Kincaid wasn’t known as a reliable, physical blocker when the Bills selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft, but he’s sealed the edge on multiple successful runs through two games. Kincaid led the way in the fourth quarter Sunday as receiver Elijah Moore used a jet sweep to run for a 4-yard touchdown.
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Hawes noticed the relentless mentality of the tight-end room as soon as he began to watch film from last season. Each of the three returners in the group – including fullback Reggie Gilliam – blocked through the whistle. There was intent on every snap to punish opponents and help the offense create big plays. Combined with the one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, Buffalo’s rushing attack was difficult to stop in 2024 and it has the potential to be even better this season.
The team’s run-blocking grade through two games is the 12th-best mark in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and Knox leads the way with a grade of 90.6. His fellow tight ends, Hawes (83.1) and Kincaid (72.6), are not far behind. Hawes has played 32.1% of the offensive snaps through two games because he's a reliable target for Allen.
“We’re tone-setters in the run game, whether we’re blocking safeties or defensive ends,” said Knox. “Setting the tone up front to get the run game established is very important for the passing game as well. Being able to make some big plays downfield to pick up a first down or score, that’s why being a tight end is so fun. You get to do both.”
Allen is the face of the franchise and one of the best players in the NFL, but his development into a responsible passer has as much to do with the improvement of the Bills’ running attack as it does his relentless drive to improve. Cook has consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Allen’s arm became the foundation of Buffalo’s offense with Dorsey calling plays, but Brady wanted to use the run to create problems for defenses. A talented quarterback means defenses can’t load the box to try to stop Cook.
The Bills didn’t always have the players to run 13 personnel. Knox admitted that he was “drinking from a fire hose” while learning how to block early in his career. He cracked a smile while recalling some rocky practice reps against Jerry Hughes. Though coach Sean McDermott has always been impressed with Kincaid’s physicality, his technique has improved significantly the past two seasons and he’s healthy again. Gilliam is one of, if not the best, fullback in the league.
The Bills aren't going to live out of 13 personnel. But it's going to make it more difficult for opponents to game plan because they must prepare for three tight ends, a sixth offensive lineman, two tight ends, a fullback and three-receiver sets. Brady likely will use three tight ends Thursday night, though.
In the teams’ Week 9 matchup last season, the Bills ran six plays with three tight ends. Allen completed four of five passes for 41 yards, including a 21-yard catch by Keon Coleman, and the Bills won, 30-27. These Dolphins (0-2) haven't proven they can stop the run, either. They’ve allowed the sixth-most yards before contact to running backs, according to Next Gen Stats.
“My mindset is I’m not going to let this guy make a tackle,” said Hawes. “We all think that way. I’ve shown these first two games that I can hold my own back there. I have a whole lot of technique I can correct, but as far as my foundation, my willingness, it will help me a lot."
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