Dalton Kincaid’s 1st season highlights

[MrEpsYtown]

I like the way Brady started using him later in the year. Early in the year, those OTB check-downs, literally anyone can do that stuff. You play to Kincaid's strengths by using him down the seam and on the Y cross stuff, which is what Brady started doing. So I have super high hopes. Kincaid is a dude. 

[Sweats]

We've basically only used him for dump-offs or as an outlet, so it's hard to see the full extent of what he can do on the field, however, the FO has a gem on their hands and they should figure out how to implement him more into our O.

Also, i doubt Kincaid will ever be an offensive focal point, such as a Gronk, a Kelce, a Kittle, etc..... but with more development, he should come into his own and be a plyer that teams will definitely have to game plan for every week.

[strive_for_five_guy]

I wouldn’t call that a “highlight” reel for Kincaid, whoever produced the video had a bunch of his ho-hum outlet catches, tipped passes, etc.  Ignoring the horribly produced video, Kincaid dropping passes is one of the least of my worries, thought he showed some of the most reliable hands we’ve seen in forever.  
 

A couple things I’d like to see more of in year two include added strength (so he can become more effective as a blocker and with the ball), along with more downfield passes to him, like the seam route versus Pittsburgh.  Give the guy the chance to make some bigger plays.

[Nephilim17]

A little shocked to see the OP was very critical of Dalton. I thought he had a great rookie year. Is he a tackle-busting machine? No, not yet. And maybe he will never be.

But he gets open and gets YAC. The YAC should not be forgotten given how little we've seen it here from all receivers.

 

After a record-setting year — yes, the bar for TEs in Buffalo is low, but he was only a rookie — I have expectations that he will be a top 7 or 8 TE this year and a top-5 TE by year 3.

Edited March 21 by Nephilim17

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Now for the discussion part. It’s not an overly optimistic highlight reel. He was clearly great in college and Beane wanted this dimension for the team. However, for a pass catching TE, he had numerous drops and very rarely broke tackles.

 

 

We see from the record, that he had 4 drops on 91 targets (comparison: Knox as rookie 10 drops on 50 targets; Shakir as rookie 2 drops on 20 targets)

He had an 80% catch rate.

 

I don't understand how that gets described as "numerous drops".  If you're catching 80% as a rookie, that's, like, Good.

 

Also from the record, 46% of his yards, were YAC.  So he may be avoiding/breaking more tackles than you think.

 

2 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

He is a willing blocker though his relatively slight frame doesn’t scare anyone and is more of a ‘get in the way’ type blocker than physical blocker.

 

Agree completely here.  We had a number of run plays or screens blown up where Kincaid was asked to block in-line and just straight-out whiffed.

 

He did a lot better downfield where what's needed is to be in the right place at the right time to just get in the way long enough to prevent the tackle.

[ddaryl]

1 hour ago, Bangarang said:

 

Gabe's ADOT was 15 yards. Shakir's was 8.9 and Kincaid's was 6. Gabe's role was much different than both of those guys so I would expect his catch percentage to be lower but admittedly it probably shouldn't have been as low as it was.

I prefer the football moves down field. I'd rather takle the nickel dime stuff that moves the chains and keeps drives alive.

Gabe to me was pretty 1 dimensional and it hurt us. I believe in taking some shots downfield but it has to come from receivers that can excell in other parts of the field as well IMO

[SirAndrew]

As others pointed out, most of Kincaid’s “issues” have more to do with the way he was used in this offense. I know this opinion isn’t very popular, but Dorsey and Brady were quite similar. Neither OC figured how to use our skill players to their max potential. 

[Einstein's Dog]

The 2024 TE room is the anticipated best the Bills have ever had! 

 

Kincaid is coming off a sensational rookie year.  He is incredibly fluid and has great hands.  I think he'll be the best TE the Bills have ever had and that starts in 2024.  Nitpicking about his drops is ridiculous, I watched every game, his hands are among the elite to ever play the game.  Of course there are things he can improve on, and it's not unreasonable to anticipate that he will.

 

Knox adds an excellent veteran presence with a more rounded TE skill set that includes blocking.  Knox was making a case of the best TE the Bills had ever had until Kincaid came along.  Knox also brings a great team attitude, from bonding with Josh to concentrating on improving, to pay cuts and restructures, Knox just presents himself as a glue player that I'm glad is on the Bills.

 

Even Morris showed positive signs in his limited action.  I don't know if I ever knew who the third TE on the Bills was in prior years.

[Mat68]

1 hour ago, Sweats said:

We've basically only used him for dump-offs or as an outlet, so it's hard to see the full extent of what he can do on the field, however, the FO has a gem on their hands and they should figure out how to implement him more into our O.

Also, i doubt Kincaid will ever be an offensive focal point, such as a Gronk, a Kelce, a Kittle, etc..... but with more development, he should come into his own and be a plyer that teams will definitely have to game plan for every week.

Kincaid’s rookie season was better then all in catches and yards and only Gronk had more Tds…. I know Laporta had an all time type season but Kincaid had a very good season by rookie Te standards.  Already has the franchise Te catch record and rookie catch record.  He needs to improve but what second year player doesnt?

[Warriorspikes51]

I'm not as enthused about him as I'd like to be.  I don't know.  It would be great if he takes a leap this year and is a Top 5-7 TE 

[Warcodered]

I believe there's an established method.

 

 

[schoolhouserock]

The way Kincaid catches the ball is… pretty? That video shows smooth hands catch after smooth hands catch.

 

Loved him in the final KC game. The first highlight of that game was Kincaid making an incredibly difficult contested catch that was also at a very clutch moment in that game. I was in attendance and despite already being frozen, it still sent a chill through me. I remember thinking, ‘THAT is exactly why the Bills wanted HIM.’

[Don Otreply]

46 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

As others pointed out, most of Kincaid’s “issues” have more to do with the way he was used in this offense. I know this opinion isn’t very popular, but Dorsey and Brady were quite similar. Neither OC figured how to use our skill players to their max potential. 

I am hopeful that Brady being able to install his own “play book”  that scheming players open and the like happens far more frequently, 🤞

[Warriorspikes51]

1 minute ago, Don Otreply said:

I am hopeful that Brady being able to install his own “play book”  that scheming players open and the like happens far more frequently, 🤞

 

That would be great.  Not sure I have confidence in him to do it 

[Fan in Chicago]

1 hour ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I like the way Brady started using him later in the year. Early in the year, those OTB check-downs, literally anyone can do that stuff. You play to Kincaid's strengths by using him down the seam and on the Y cross stuff, which is what Brady started doing. So I have super high hopes. Kincaid is a dude. 

This is my take as well. The way he was used was different with Brady and made me believe it was Dorsey's asks of him which limited his effectiveness as well as his development. Perhaps Dorsey did not trust him enough to run the deeper and more complex routes?

 

Now it is up to Kincaid to put in the work in the off season on his body, his mechanics and understanding of route concepts. If he does that, I truly believe he will be one of the top 3 TEs next season. There is no reason to believe he won't put in the work - kid looks to be a good dude. 

Edited March 21 by Fan in Chicago

[Rigotz]

3 hours ago, KDIGGZ said:

Now do Sam Laporta. His team didn't need to use a 1st round pick on a TE. Bills could have waited until round 2 and still had the best TE in the draft because TE isn't an important position.

 

I really, really hate it when people say stupid things like this.

 

Sam LaPorta was pick #34. Dalton Kincaid was pick #25. Both were very good last year.

 

Let me talk to you about other guys we could have "waited for" who were available by our pick in Round 2 (pick #59).

Here are their stats for the entire year:

 

- Luke Schoonmaker (pick 58) - 8 receptions for 65 yards 

- Brenton Strange (pick 61) - 5 receptions for 35 yards 

- Tucker Craft (pick 78) - 31 receptions for 355 yards (nice, almost half of what Kincaid got)

- Darnell Washington (pick 93) - 7 receptions for 61 yards

- Cameron Latu (pick 101) - 0 receptions 

- Josh Whyle (pick 147) - 9 receptions for 94 yards

- Will Mallowry (pick 162) - 18 receptions for 207 yards

The rest of the late round guys basically did nothing.

 

SO, tell us again how they could have waited and still gotten the same production.

 

[ganesh]

He needs to catch the balls more in stride. His YAC after was very limited

[ngbills]

I think stats can be confused with opportunity. I am not saying this is the case with Kincaid but you cant ignore how many of his catches were easy dump-offs that 99.9 % of NFL guys catch. At the end of the year we finally saw more, but for the majority of the season it was very limited.

 

I would argue you can take any NFL talent and they would put up 800+ yard receiving season if given the chance. There are so many plays a D is just willing to give up the 5 yard pass or the D focused on better players so the 3-4 option guys are gonna be open a ton.

 

The difference is some guys are playmakers that can make something special happen out of a 5 yard play. So every time you go to the 5 yard guy, your losing the chance that the better player does something special. So getting Joe Schmo an 800 yard season and Justin Jefferson only 1000 could be viewed as a failure not a look how great a year Joe Schmo had, that OC must be great. 

 

Again, not saying Kincaid is in that bucket. But the O stalled quite a bit during the stretch we played the throw to Kincaid for 2 yards and watch him be tackled. I would have preferred I'm stretching the field and opening things up for Diggs. 

 

 

 

 

[Nephilim17]

17 minutes ago, ganesh said:

He needs to catch the balls more in stride. His YAC after was very limited

According to @Beck Water, a poster who rarely lies, Kincaid had 46% of his yards after catch.

I would guess that's the best on the team.

[Don Otreply]

49 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

That would be great.  Not sure I have confidence in him to do it 

Fingers crossed 🤞 I suspect it will happen more than in the recent past,