Buffalo Bills rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid on the journey to ‘be him’

Entering the 2023 NFL season all eyes were on rookie playmakers Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid to be immediate impacts on their squads at the tight end position.  After slow starts, both players have begun to show what made them high round picks, particularly the Buffalo Bills rookie.

As Detroit Lions first-year tight end Sam LaPorta has been tearing up the league, the NFL is starting to see the Dalton Kincaid that came out of the University of Utah as a fascinating prospect.  Selected with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, expectations were high for Kincaid, especially landing on a Bills squad high powered on offense.

Buffalo Bills talented rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid coming into his own

With the size and athletic ability to be something very special in the NFL, Kincaid got off to a slow start with the Bills, but over the last two weeks, he has looked every part of that pass-catching threat he was at Utah. In following up an 8 catch, 75-yard performance int eh loss to the new England Patriots, Kincaid hauled in five catches for 65 yards and his first career touchdown in the team’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.

Take a look at the excitement exuberated by the talented Bills rookie tight end:

Has the last two weeks been a coming out party for Kincaid?  Well, it looks like Josh Allen has another weapon.  A weapon Bills head coach Sean McDermott says is just starting to grow in his role.

“(He just needs) to be him,” McDermott said following the victory over Tampa Bay, via Bills wire. “To continue to grow like all of the players, particularly the young players. Grow every week, get a little bit better and find things to work on. … He’s done a good job. And when you watch the rapport of a good tight end and a quarterback, it only grows over the years. And the more they play together, the better it should get.”

That growth seems to be coming just in time for a Bills’ offense that hasn’t looked like themselves for the most part, until Thursday night when Allen and the Bills’ offense put forth a balanced effort highlighted by Kincaid’s performance.

In his journey of becoming who he is, in becoming him, Kincaid not only stepped up to the challenge of being a target Allen can count on, but he has also unveiled the key to making him a better playmaker in the league.

“Better communication, more passion and more energy throughout,” Kincaid said following the game.

With the injury to Pro Bowl tight end Dawson Knox, the targets will continue coming Kincaid’s way.  In earning the trust of Allen, his role in the offense will continue to grow as the season moves forward.  So, all those high expectations entering the season is playing out for the Bills and Dalton Kincaid.  Should be fun to watch this talented tight end continue to find his shine in the NFL.