Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid is poised to become one of the best players in Season 2

As for tight ends to watch in 2024, there’s a very good one in Buffalo. After a solid rookie season in the NFL, the Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is ready and prepared to make another leap forward in second year.

Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, The Utah product is a mobile tight end who has shown route-running ability and above-average athleticism that has made him the top tight end in this draft class. He has been overshadowed by Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaportaBut Kincaid’s production was nothing to sneeze at in his rookie season.

In an offense led by Josh Allen and anchored by an All Pro receiver Stefon Diggs, Kincaid had a solid season with 73 receptions for 673 yards and two touchdowns. Still, he felt like he wasn’t quite there, which is motivating him to take another step forward in his second NFL season.

With Diggs and Gabriel Davis gone from the Bills offense, Kincaid has a great opportunity to become one of the team’s primary playmaking targets. He has another young tight end alongside him Dawson KnoxBut ultimately, it’s Kincaid who has a chance to become Allen’s top target, given his route-running and athletic size as a tight end. Looking for ways to improve, Kincaid has focused this offseason on improving in front of press coverage.

“The media coverage has been a big part of me, the press and the guys, getting better at those aspects of the game,” Kincaid said. via the team’s official website“Especially with guys coming in and trying to rush you, slow you down and disrupt your rhythm and your routes. So that was the main focus for me, along with lifting weights and getting stronger.”

Kincaid should see more of that in 2024, unless Bills receivers like Khalil Shakir and 2024 NFL Draft Second-round pick Keon Coleman has proven himself as a wide receiver. Even if that’s not the case and Kincaid is the primary target for opposing defenses, his understanding of the Bills’ offense in Year 2 should allow him to continue to develop as a matchup nightmare. Speaking of Shakir, the third-year receiver is excited to see Kincaid’s growth.

“He’s unbelievable,” receiver Khalil Shakir said of Kincaid. “He just has a feel for the game. And even in the running game, he makes blocks. Sometimes the transition from college to the NFL can be a little tricky. And he went into the fight, he went crazy and he handled it like a pro.”

What to expect for Kincaid in the 2024 NFL season?

Expect the second-year tight end to be more prominently featured by offensive coordinator Joe Brady and his 12-man scheme where he will take advantage of the skill sets of Kincaid and Knox. As long as both remain healthy, the versatility each brings to the offense could set the tone for one of the best tight end duos in the NFL. It will start with Kincaid who could threaten a 1,000-yard season and establish himself as one of the league’s elite tight ends.

In what could easily be a season where he takes a step back, expect the opposite for Kincaid to be in the right mindset entering the second year of his NFL career.