Headed into bye, Bills TE Dalton Kincaid among top ten in rookie receiving yards

When compared against just tight ends, Kincaid ranks second among rookies at his position

For a rookie who was drafted as technically a backup, Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid sure has established himself as a solid contributor in 2023.

Headed into the team’s bye week, Kincaid is ninth in the NFL in receiving yards among rookie pass catchers, while ranking second among all tight ends in that same metric. The top-ten list is as follows:

• Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams WR) – 924
• Tank Dell (Houston Texans WR) – 709
• Jordan Addison (Minnesota Vikings WR) – 686
• Zay Flowers (Baltimore Ravens WR) – 613
• Josh Downs (Indianapolis Colts WR) – 566
• Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions TE) – 539
• Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs WR) – 527
• Jayden Reed (Green Bay Packers WR) – 527
• Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills TE) – 474
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks WR) – 468

Nacua has been a starter and gotten heavy reps and targets since Week 1. Addison came on strong in yardage after the injury to all-world receiver teammate Justin Jefferson. Flowers and Laporta have been staples in their offense since Week 1.

Dalton Kincaid became the de facto starting tight end for the Buffalo Bills after a wrist injury to Dawson Knox. At that point, he began to receive a snap count percentage of 60-65% or more beginning with the Tampa Bay game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. This firmly puts him in the “coming on as the season goes on” category with players like Rashee Rice and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who have both seen their roles grow in the last few weeks. Kincaid is tied for the lead on the team in receptions over the last four weeks with star wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Essentially, Kincaid continues to perform similarly to what you would expect from a rookie wide receiver who showed effectiveness early on, along with promise for the future. The fact that he’s doing this as a tight end though (where rookies have historically struggled to make an impact in the passing game) is what makes it all the more encouraging.

He’s pretty doot.

…and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Buffalo Rumblings podcast network.