Could Bills Dalton Kincaid & Dawson Knox Be League's Best TE Tandem?
Buffalo Bills rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid is eager to make his mark in one of the most potent offenses in the NFL.
Despite being stocked with talent at several positions, one area in which the team stood to benefit from an infusion of youth and an alternative skill set was at tight end. As such, Kincaid will be making his home in Western New York.
In doing so, he just might add a new dimension to coordinator Ken Dorsey’s offense.
Not only was the Utah product the first tight end selected in a highly-touted Draft class, he was also the only one selected in the first round. Typically, such pedigree would indicate his taking a prominent position in the Bills’ offensive game plan. In fact, the 23-year-old is already impressing his teammates during Buffalo’s offseason workout program.
However, it is important to remember that Kincaid is a rookie. As such, Dorsey realizes that prudence must take precedence over excitement.
"We're nowhere close to knowing what the big picture is going to be," Dorsey said during OTAs, "because we have to learn him and he has to learn us in a lot of ways within the system and within what we can do."
Still, Kincaid brings a stellar resume with him to the pro level. While loftily compared to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, or perhaps more realistically to Zach Ertz of the Arizona Cardinals, Kincaid is a natural pass catcher. His unique abilities to change the complexity of an offense were, perhaps, best described by NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah just prior to April’s Draft.
"I think he is a bigtime player," Jeremiah said. "I think he is one of my favorite players to watch in this draft. I think he is one of the best players in the draft. He is just sudden in everything that he does. He separates. He is outstanding after the catch. You know, he can win on contact over the middle of the field. He is really, really good after the catch. You know, as a blocker, he is going to more shield you and wall off."
Should Kincaid live up to the hype, he will provide a solid complement to Bills’ starting tight end Dawson Knox, who continues to prove his value in Buffalo's offense.
The 6-4, 254-pound Knox is at his best when utilizing the intermediate area of the field, particularly against teams with difficulty defending it. Knox is successful when finding space sitting down in soft zones, as well as utilizing flat combinations. When teams attempt to neutralize the middle of the field by taking away slot targets underneath, he often finds room to operate in some catch-and-run situations over the middle.
When the ball is not headed his way, Knox has also stepped up his blocking game on the edge, especially improving upon sealing his blocks. In most circumstances, he is well-positioned to be a problematic player to defend for any team.
With Knox playing the traditional 'Y' role, any deficiency in opposing team’s secondaries will allow him the opportunity to maneuver in the middle of the field. If Kincaid is able to exploit the cracks in the opponent's defense, Bills quarterback Josh Allen may benefit from some true 12-man personnel.
Perhaps most importantly for the Bills, it will put the rest of the NFL’s defenses on notice.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL.
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