Buffalo Rumblings
Can this raw UDFA prospect make a dent in what appears to be a solid positional group?
The Buffalo Bills have poured a lot of resources into the tight end position of late. That’s something new for a franchise that had never really emphasized the position, except perhaps for a brief time where they named the most famous offensive attack in franchise history for the player who played tight end (but even then, many people thought the K-Gun was named for quarterback Jim Kelly and not tight end Keith McKeller, whose nickname was “Killer”).
Under offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the tight end position has become a point of emphasis. With a big contract and a big draft pick at the position, there isn’t much room for playing time. However, given the Bills’ propensity for two-tight end sets, there is definitely room for a third tight end on the roster.
In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we discuss a young player vying for that third tight end role.
Name: Keleki Latu
Number: 83
Position: TE
Height/Weight: 6’7”, 244 pounds
Age: 22 (23 on 8/13/2025)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Buffalo following the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Washington
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Latu signed a three-year deal worth $2.98 million overall. For the 2025 season, he carries an $845,000 cap hit if he makes the 53-man roster. If he’s released, Buffalo will be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $35,000, which is the sum of the guarantees on the contract.
2024 Recap: Latu suited up for his third school in four years last season, ending up at Washington after playing two seasons at Cal and one season at Nevada. With the Huskies, he played in 13 games, setting career-highs in receptions (40) and receiving yards (371), and tying his career-high for touchdowns in a season with one. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. At Washington’s pro day, Latu benched 225-pounds a total of 13 times, ran a 4.92-second forty-yard dash, leapt 30” in the vertical and 9’1” in the broad jump, and ran the three-cone drill in 7.07 seconds. For his efforts, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.
Positional outlook: Latu is one of five tight ends on the roster at present. Zach Davidson, Jackson Hawes, Dalton Kincaid, and Dawson Knox are the others.
2025 Offseason: Latu has participated in all offseason work to date.
2025 Season outlook: Barring an injury or incredible preseason performance, Latu has a better shot at being released than he does making the 53-man roster outright. Kincaid and Knox are roster locks, and the early reports on Hawes have been outstanding throughout minicamp and offseason activities. Add in the fact that Davidson has been with the team before and Latu is looking at a long climb to the practice squad, let alone the active roster.
That’s not to say that he can’t overtake Davidson for that practice-squad tight end role, however. Davidson is...
