How do the Bills TEs compare to the league’s best in the new rankings?

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane sparked a number of eyebrow raises on the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft when he traded for Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid with the 25th overall pick.

Few questioned the player – Kincaid was almost universally considered the best tight end in the class and a potential difference-maker for any offense he joined – but the adjust seemed a bit off. Buffalo already employed one of the league’s best tight ends, Dawson Knox, a clearly talented receiving option who had just signed a four-year, $54 million extension with the Bills the previous September.

The tight ends room went from above average to stacked, with many wondering how the team would juggle the two. Fast forward to today, and few people question Beane’s decision.

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Both players performed well throughout the 2023 season, with Kincaid, in particular, establishing himself as one of the best young tight ends in the league. He was third on the team in receiving, catching 72 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns. Knox, for his part, also performed admirably; his role diminished and he missed time due to injury, but he still caught 22 passes for 186 yards and two scores.

The two, when healthy, make for one of the best tight ends in the NFL. This idea is reflected in PFF’s recent NFL tight end rankings, with Kincaid and Knox ranking in the top 20.

Kincaid fares better than his colleague in writer John Kosko’s ranking, ranking 13th.

“Kincaid made teammate Dawson Knox an afterthought, as he rushed for 777 yards and averaged 1.51 yards per route on 101 targets,” Kosko wrote. “Kincaid had a great rookie season that was somewhat overlooked due to (Sam) LaPorta’s phenomenal campaign.”

Knox ranks 20th on the list, with Kosko writing: “Knox never graded particularly high, leading the Bills to go for the upside and draft Kincaid.” As a result, Knox took a back seat during his rookie season as he saw career lows in targets and receptions. Still, Knox has proven to be a reliable option in the middle of the pack.

The Bills are one of two teams with two players ranked among the media’s top 20 tight ends; the Chicago Bears are the other club, with Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett ranking 11th and 19th, respectively.

Both rankings seem generally fair; one could argue that Kincaid could be ranked a bit higher – at least above Evan Engram and the aforementioned Kmet – but number 13 isn’t egregious. It’s also odd to see Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers, who didn’t take a professional photo, rank significantly higher than Knox (No. 14), but it’s also not egregious given that Bowers was a top-15 pick. and has been widely considered one of the best short-term prospects in recent years.

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Kincaid and Knox could move in opposite directions in future versions of these rankings; An ascending 24-year-old who could increasingly steal snaps and targets from Knox, Kincaid should figure prominently in Buffalo’s revamped passing attack without Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis next year. The tight end could realistically lead the Bills in targets for the 2024 season.

That said, Knox could also play an increased role in the passing game as he returns to full health. Beane touted his team’s tight ends during a recent appearance on The athletic football showimplying that the team has high hopes for both of them.

“The other thing people look at is the people lining up in the receiver room, but our tight ends can catch the ball as well,” Beane said. “Those guys are heavily involved in the passing game with Dawson (Knox) ​​and Dalton Kincaid. Don’t forget those guys. I would say if you look at the Chiefs run, they did a good job, I “I would say this thing is built around – it’s obviously built around (Patrick) Mahomes – but the receiving corps, it starts with (Travis Kelce).