Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

‘Hard Knocks’ teaser shows how analyst 'changed' Bills’ QB Josh Allen's life

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI | By Khari Demos | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:32 PM ET

It’s safe to say Josh Allen has blossomed into an NFL superstar for the Buffalo Bills. And as many people that played their part in his ascent, Chris Hess can take a lot of the credit for it.

In a preview of the fourth episode for the Bills’ rendition of “Hard Knocks,” Hess is shown talking about what exactly his role entails as a performance analyst.

”Fancy term would be applied biomechanics and performance analysis,” said Hess in the opening clip from the hit HBO Sports’ series. “Simple terms is we’re measuring the quarterback’s movement to help optimize their efficiency and help them avoid injury.”

An inside look at the man who helped @JoshAllenQB perfect his throwing motion and win MVP, Chris Hess.

New episode of #HardKnocks: Training Camp with the @BuffaloBills airs tonight at 9pm ET on @hbomax pic.twitter.com/w2i9aV58KJ
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2025

Allen shared extremely high praises of Hess and how he helped him become an NFL MVP.

”Chris has, honestly, changed my life in terms of how I threw the football,” Allen said. “He knows what I’ve looked like at my best, he knows what I’ve looked like at my worst.”

Hess noted the steady improvement Allen has made in his throwing motion since 2019. He said Allen was initially more of a “chucker” of the football, before becoming a “thrower,” and now he considers him a “passer.”

”What may take another quarterback two months, he can do in two or three reps and be like, ‘you mean like this?,’” Hess said.

The numbers coincide with everything Hess shared on Allen. Through his first two seasons, Allen was considered more “athlete” than quarterback. From 2018 to 2019, Allen posted a 56.3 percent completion rate and a 30-to-21 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

That set Allen up to take a superstar turn during the 2020 NFL season, where he finished second in MVP voting and earned his first of two second-team All-Pro selections.

Allen’s rise to elite status has been a long road, but thankfully Hess has supported him in getting there. It will be interesting to see how exactly he assisted Allen once the fourth episode of "Hard Knocks" debuts.