Dalton Kincaid is set to explode in the Buffalo Bills offense this season, with insiders predicting an “enhanced role” for the tight end. You know Josh Allen is gonna sling it to his receivers more often than in 2025, but ignoring Kincaid’s potential impact would be a huge mistake. Last year, Allen’s 270 wideout targets were the seventh-lowest figure in the entire NFL, so there’s nowhere to go but up for that group. But don’t let the talk of receiver usage distract you from what the Bills are actually building.
The Bills Are All-In on Their Tight Ends, Period.
Forget the glitz of Joe Brady’s national title season at LSU with Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Any offensive coordinator would lean wideout-heavy with that kind of talent! The real tell? Buffalo kept five receivers but *four* tight ends on their initial 53-man roster after the preseason. That’s a huge signal about where they see their offensive strength. Kincaid, by the way, is playing on the final, “cheap” portion of his rookie contract this season. That means he’s got something to prove, and the Bills have every incentive to maximize his value. Joe Buscaglia from The Athletic isn’t just whistling Dixie when he says Kincaid is due for that enhanced role. It won’t be tough, considering Kincaid only appeared on 26.8% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps in 2025.
Efficiency That Screams Underrated
Think about that snap count. Barely a quarter of the plays, and yet Kincaid still led all tight ends in yards per route run (YPRR) with an absurd 2.79 yards! That’s the ultimate efficiency metric, people. It’s wild he didn’t even play against the Texans last season, a game where Allen and Co. definitely could have used him. In Kincaid’s absence, Dawson Knox had his most productive season since 2021, and his highest YPRR to date at 1.35. Jackson Hawes also stepped up, playing 43% of snaps and racking up a solid 1.89 YPRR, with Allen boasting a 143.7 rating when targeting the rookie. You know what else Kincaid’s absences meant? The Bills were nowhere near the top in using ’12’ personnel, the common grouping with two or more tight ends. Their 11.5% usage was actually the third-lowest in football in 2025. This all points to Kincaid being severely underutilized.
But maybe we’ve been looking at Kincaid all wrong, or at least differently than the Bills have. Anthony Prohaska from Cover 1 tweeted about Kincaid’s alignment rates in 2025, and it paints a picture of a unique weapon. Out of 106 tight ends with at least 100 snaps, Kincaid ranked 101st in inline alignment at 32.6%. But check this: he was 9th in slot alignment (43.5%) and an incredible 3rd in wide alignment (23.4%)! And get this, the Bills ran the ball to Kincaid’s side at a rate of just 30.2%, which was 104th out of 106. This guy isn’t your traditional blocking tight end, he’s a receiver in a tight end’s body, and the Bills are just scratching the surface of how to use him.
Week 1 is coming up, and with Kincaid finally set for the enhanced role he’s earned, watch out. The league better be ready because this dude is about to put up some serious numbers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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