Bills' Snap Count Analysis: Dalton Kincaid, Frank Gore Amongst Biggest Week 1 Winners

The Buffalo Bills had a full complement of players for Sunday's season-opening road victory over the Houston Texans, and everyone, expect backup quarterback Kyle Allen, saw action.

Nine of the 48 active players participated solely in a special teams capacity during the 36-31 win.

With the Texans controlling the time of possession, the Bills' defense (79 snaps) spent significantly more time on the field than the offense (58 snaps).

Bills' Week 1 Player Snap Counts vs. Texans

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Here are seven points of analysis for Buffalo's Week 1 player snap counts.

Starting offensive line stands tall throughout

It was four of the usual suspects plus new starting left guard Alec Anderson along the Bills' first-team offensive line, and the unit held up well against the Texans' vaunted front.

Buffalo did a much better job of keeping the heat off Allen than they did during the 2025 meeting, and none of the five linemen missed a single snap. Last year, both tackles were banged up. left tackle Dion Dawkins suffered a concussion and right tackle Spencer Brown left the game early due to injury.

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) celebrates after a touchdown | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DJ Moore's high volume

Outside of Allen and the five starting linemen, DJ Moore logged a higher offensive snap count than any other Bills' player.

Moore left briefly after getting rolled up on in the fourth quarter, but he returned for the last two snaps of the Bills' possession.

Deployed for 76 percent of offensive plays, Moore's 44 reps were two more than reigning NFL rushing champion James Cook (42) saw. Khalil Shakir was second behind Moore amongst fellow wide receivers, taking the field for 31 of 58 snaps.

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver DJ Moore (2) runs off the field after the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Three 100-percenters on Bills' defense

Franchise cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Terrel Bernard and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson saw all 79 defensive snaps in the Week 1 win.

Bernard, a co-captain, went down with a leg issue following a third-quarter rep, but he was able to play on. Fellow inside linebacker Dorian Williams was subbed out for 33 percent of snaps.

Veteran Ed Oliver (65) led all defensive linemen and edge rushers by playing 82 percent of the time. Furthermore, the Bills used outside linebacker Greg Rousseau like an every-down player in their new 3-4 alignment, deploying him 80 percent of snaps.

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (8) celebrates after recovering a fumble against the Houston Texans | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cornerback rotation

As expected, Benford did not come off the field when the Bills played defense against the Texans. Meanwhile, Maxwell Hairston earned the start as the boundary cornerback on the opposite side.

Hairston, a 2025 first-round pick, logged 66 defensive snaps. He was occasionally spelled by second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun, who took 11 reps.

Slot cornerback Dee Alford was in the formation 61 percent of plays.

Christian Benford, Davison Igbinosun — Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Davison Igbinosun (21) celebrates with cornerback Christian Benford (47) after a play during the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dalton Kincaid spearheads heavy TE usage

Veteran Dawson Knox has led all Bills' tight ends in snap share since being drafted in 2019. Even when Buffalo used a first-round pick on Dalton Kincaid in 2023, Knox remained the most-frequently deployed tight end.

In 2025, Knox took 58 percent of possible reps. Meanwhile, Kincaid, who fought through injury the entire season, saw only 38 percent of snaps with the majority coming as a potential receiving target.

On Sunday, however, Kincaid led the position group by participating in 42 of 58 offensive snaps.

"He was outstanding yesterday, and he was outstanding in the run game as well," said Brady. "It allowed us to be able to keep him out on the football field and do some of the things we wanted to do. We were in a lot of 13 [personnel]."

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) makes a catch against Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bills used 13 personnel (one RB, three TE) 37 percent of the time on offense against the Texans (h/t Chris Trapasso).

After Kincaid, Knox logged 39 reps followed by blocking exttaordinaire Jackson Hawes (25). Four tight end Keleki Latu saw four snaps on offense.

Trust grows in Frank Gore Jr.

Bills' third-down running back Ty Johnson, who was questionable to play, was unavailable due to a hamstring injury that dates back to August 8. As a result, Buffalo elevated Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad to serve as RB3 against the Texans.

The coaching staff didn't blink when deploying Gore for 11 offensive snaps, including multiple key pass protection situations on third down. While active for the Bills' two playoff games last January, the practice squad running back totaled only four postseason snaps on offense.

Gore out-snapped second-string running back Ray Davis, who saw only five offensive reps in Week 1. They each had one carry apiece.

Aug 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. (20) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter preseason game at New Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Three notables returning from injury

Outside linebacker Michael Hoecht and defensive lineman DeWayne Carter weren't on the official injury report, but both were playing their first regular season games since tearing the Achilles tendon.

Hoecht saw 30 percent of plays on defense while Carter logged 18 reps (23 percent). The former played practically a full game's worth of special teams snaps, taking 19 reps in that phase of the game.

Second-string nickel cornerback Jordan Hancock, who was questionable to play due to a quad injury, was active, but he did not appear on defense. Hancock did, however, see 23 special teams snaps.

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Michael Hoecht (55) celebrates after a recovery during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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