The Emergence of Dalton Kincaid

When Dalton Kincaid was drafted by the Bills in the first round in this year’s NFL draft a lot of fans were not really sure who they were getting. Coming out of Utah, a school in the Pac 12, that plays most of their games after us east coasters are asleep a lot of fans had probably not seen him play much in college. Outside of the Rose Bowl and their two conference championships he won while at Utah. But, as we have all learned in the past few weeks, the Bills found a stud. A weapon in the middle of the field that hopefully, will be here for many years to come.

Over the last three games, Kincaid has become a go-to-guy for Quarterback Josh Allen. In just those three games he has had over 200 yards, 23 catches, and scored his first career touchdown on Thursday night against the Bucs. With the Bills offense at times struggling to find that number two option behind Diggs, it appears Kincaid Has already stepped into that role in just his rookie season.

One of the ways Kincaid has impressed so much early in his career is with great route running and great hands. Quite simply the guy catches everything that is thrown to him, so far this season he has a catch percentage of 88.9%, which leads the league for tight ends.

It is easy to see why his route running was compared to that of former Bills great, Cole Beasley. He excels in setting up his man one way, and then breaking back another. Leaving his defender and his defenders ankles moving in the other direction. Yes, he fumbled on this play, but it is too good of a route not to share. If he continues to work the middle of the field like this and his chemistry with Josh Allen continues to grow, he should be one of the most reliable tight end targets in the league. And makes him an absolute problem for defenses on third down.

If the Bills want to get back on track and make a run in the playoffs, Dalton Kincaid is going to play a crucial role in the rest of this season. He needs to continue to be that number two option and make big plays on third down. If he can do that, hopefully the Bills offense can get its grove back.