Rookie Wall? Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott Defends TE Dalton Kincaid During Slump
The Buffalo Bills’ 2023 first-round selection, tight end Dalton Kincaid, has had a fairly turbulent rookie season.
It took him a few weeks to get off the ground in a crowded offense and another relevant tight end, Dawson Knox, paired with him on the depth chart. The “11 and a half” personnel offense wasn’t as effective as Buffalo would have hoped, but Knox’s wrist injury opened the door for Kincaid to blossom as more of a downfield threat.
His signs of life in the middle of the season gave optimism to the idea that the hefty investment was spent on a player who could legitimately add to the Bills’ win-now aspirations, especially with the inconsistencies of receivers not named Stefon Diggs.
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From Week 7 to 11, Kincaid had his best stretch as a professional. He totaled 39 catches on 45 targets for 318 yards and two scores, establishing himself as a legitimate factor in the offense.
Since the Week 13 bye, though, he has failed to leave his fingerprints on any of Buffalo’s victories. He logged just 21 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs and was targeted four times for one seven-yard catch in the two weeks since. Game scripts and the return of Knox have impacted his production, but such a dip – to some – was worrisome.
Head coach Sean McDermott isn’t concerned about the perceived rookie wall Kincaid has hit.
“He’s so tough, he’s so mentally and physically tough,” McDermott said. “I think I know what you’re talking about but at the same time he continues to push through because it is a long year but when I talk to him about it, come game time he’s ready to go.”
The Bills will host the New England Patriots on Sunday. Although they lost the initial contest, it was a coming-out party for Kincaid, who caught all eight of his targets for 75 yards.
According to his coach, he’s essentially dealing with some production variance that comes with absorbing defensive attention.
“So I don’t think it’s a rookie wall thing as it is sometimes the ball finds you and sometimes it doesn’t,” McDermott said. “There were a number of plays last week where he was the primary target and it got taken away so Josh [Allen] had to go through his progression.”
With two games to play in his debut season, he’s hauled in 62 of his 76 targets for 502 yards and two touchdowns. The dip in production might raise some eyebrows, but it doesn’t seem to be a reflection of his play nor an indication of what’s to come.
McDermott concluded his thoughts on the 25th overall pick with a relieving tone of confidence.
“He’s going to continue to be a big focus of our offense.”
