What Should The Buffalo Bills Expect From This Exciting Rookie?
The Bills traded up in the 2023 NFL Draft to take Dalton Kincaid 25th overall ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. The Bills made Kincaid the first TE drafted this year and the first TE drafted from the University of Utah since 1996. Kincaid was a super productive threat for the Utes, leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. PFF had Dalton ranked as the top TE prospect and the Bills seemed to agree, trading away a 4th round pick to draft him before the Cowboys.
The Dawson Knox Dilemma
Putting the Dalton Kincaid hype to the side for now, the Bills just paid Dawson Knox big time. Against the will of certain groups of fans, the team made Knox the 8th highest-paid TE, awarding him a 4 year/$52 million contract. While Knox hasn't been a bad player by any means, he's had a few stretches of inconsistency in his career. That being said, he's been a solid anchor for Josh Allen and his freaky athleticism has made him the recipient of some awesome highlights.
The Bills have also proven to not be a team in terms of TE production. The most targets that Knox has received in his career came in the 2021 season when he had 71. The Bills not only allocated a large contract to the position already but have also shown their inability to utilize the position heavily throughout the season. The question begs to be asked; why invest in a first-round TE?
The Path Forward For Dalton Kincaid
Buffalo is going to need to commit to fully utilizing their assets, whether that be a TE or a first-round rookie. Kincaid has been shining so far in training camp, earning excitement from fans and teammates alike.
The Bills will need to be innovative and come up with new ways to implement more than 12 personnel sets into their scheme. The team has predominately been an 11-personnel team, using 2 TE sets at a bottom 10 rate in the NFL last season. This season a set with Diggs and Davis at receiver, Knox and Kincaid at TE, and Cook out of the backfield could be a lethal combination to keep opponents on their toes.
Kincaid has been practicing strictly with the first team and his hands have been putting on a show, being one of Josh Allen's favorite targets so far and having yet to drop a pass this offseason. Taking the draft capital invested in him and his impressive showing at Bills training camp so far, fans have high expectations for the rookie going into the season. It will be up to Ken Dorsey and Sean McDermott to plan the system and play calling around their hopeful new TE.
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