How Bengals Influenced Bills to Draft Dalton Kincaid: 'Make Defenses Pay!'
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has acknowledged that he can't add play-makers around quarterback Josh Allen like the Cincinnati Bengals did after selecting Joe Burrow. Despite taking Burrow, the Bengals 'sucked' enough to pick within the top-10 a year later in 2021, snagging receiver Ja'Marr Chase at No. 5 overall.
Unfortunately, that isn't a luxury the Bills have right now. But that doesn't mean they can't mimic what the Bengals did in other ways.
In a recent article from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, he shed light on how the Bengals influenced the Bills into taking Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid with the No. 26 overall pick in this year's draft.
"So as for what the Bills saw in Kincaid: They wanted to find a mismatch player, be it a receiver or tight end, in the first couple of rounds and had a handful they thought might be available to them over the draft’s first two nights," Breer wrote. "In their playoff exit, the Bills watched the Bengals bracket and double Stefon Diggs, and they knew they needed more ways to make defenses pay for that approach."
Diggs was held to four receptions for 35 yards in the Bills' 27-10 loss to the Bengals. Tight end Dawson Knox and rookie receiver Khalil Shakir led the team in receiving, with 65 yards on five catches and 40 yards on two receptions, respectively. The Bengals' defensive game plan to take away Diggs and pressure Allen worked to near perfection.
Kincaid isn't the traditional No. 2 receiver that some fans wanted as a result of the disappointing postseason exit. So, what was it about his tape that made Buffalo trade up for him?
"He was instinctive and smart enough to snuff out man vs. zone coverage—and react to it—quickly, something that’s essential to winning in an area where things happen fast," Breer wrote. "That’d help Josh Allen, too, in giving him a weapon who could react in hot situations against blitz looks."
Drafting Kincaid is a sign of change for the Bills. They ranked last in snaps played in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) a season ago. But that will change, as they have another option in Kincaid alongside Knox. It is the type of schematic evolution hat could help the Bills reach their postseason goals.
At 6-4, 246 pounds, Kincaid gives Buffalo another potential mismatch on the field for linebackers and corners to deal with. The team also have a mismatch out of the backfield with second-year running back James Cook.
Cook and Kincaid could both offer Allen check-down options or explosive-play ability as downfield or run-after-catch targets. Regardless of how you slice it, the loss to the Bengals this past January certainly still lingers as a bad taste for the Bills, evident by how they've addressed the offense this offseason to make sure any future disappointments aren't as tough to swallow.
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