Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid ‘ready to explode’ in 2024 NFL season

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane described his team’s efforts during the 2024 offseason as an “infusion of youth,” a reset of the team’s proverbial clock that saw Buffalo move on from solid starters like Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White. , and Mitch Morse while simultaneously cutting a large salary and refocusing its core around young players, new and old.

The rooms most impacted by the Bills’ spring maneuvers belong to the secondary and receivers, the latter losing its two main contributors in the aforementioned Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Buffalo added external reinforcements in the form of free agent Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman, but it appears the team will expect the bulk of its aerial production from two wide receivers. returning third-year wide receiver Khalil Shakir and second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid.

And it is this last player who, according to a media outlet, could have an exceptional second year. Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski recently compiled a list of eight NFL sophomores who are “ready to explode” during the 2024 NFL season.identifying Kincaid as a player to watch.

“Without (Diggs), Buffalo does not have a top outside target,” Sobleski wrote. “Instead, quarterback Josh Allen should turn to second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid.

“The Bills turned the 24-year-old into a TE1 in last year’s class when they selected him with the 25th overall pick. He was strong in their last four games, with 19 receptions for 275 yards, as Buffalo won another AFC East title and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. . . Now that he has a season under his belt and both top targets are gone from the lineup, Buffalo can emulate their nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs, by making a tight end the No. 1 receiving threat of the offensive.

Kincaid has long been expected to become the centerpiece of Buffalo’s aerial attack, with many hoping he ends up acting like the Travis Kelce to Josh Allen’s Patrick Mahomes. He showed flashes of this ability after the team traded up to select him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, playing on 784 offensive snaps while catching 73 passes for 673 yards and two scores during his rookie year .

He’ll become Allen’s primary target sooner than expected given the sudden departures of Diggs and Davis, but he’s shown plenty of indications that he’s ready for increased usage. His intrinsic ability to find and expose weak spots in media coverage has shone through his short NFL career, as has his sharp route running; with Coleman drawing attention on the outside and the combination of Shakir and Samuel used creatively, Kincaid should have plenty of space to operate and succeed in the middle of the field.