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Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid had his breakout game for the Buffalo Bills, stretching the field in Thursday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and catching his first career touchdown.
Quarterback Josh Allen is ready to see more of it.
The Bills quarterback opened up on Kincaid’s big game, saying he hopes it will lead to a bigger role for the rookie that the team traded up in the draft’s first round to snag.
Dalton Kincaid Breaks Through for the Bills
After a slow start to his career, Kincaid has come on in the past two games, making 13 total catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. He had five catches for 65 yards against the Buccaneers, including a dynamic sideline catch on third down that moved the chains and a second-quarter touchdown.
Allen shared some big praise for Kincaid, saying he has the poise of a veteran player and could be moving into a bigger role with the team.
“He feels like he’s been in this league for a long time,” Allen said, via NFL.com. “He’s a professional. He takes it very serious and it’s a business to him. Just his approach has been fantastic. The trust that I have in him is gonna continue to grow and we’re gonna continue to talk about things, things that I see, whether it’s body language or where I see a route going.
“I thought he stepped up to the challenge and we’re going to have to get him more involved in the offense as the season goes by.”
Kincaid could have a big opportunity in front of him. Veteran tight end Dawson Knox was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on his wrist, and the team opted not to add another tight end to the roster.
That led the team to scrap the two tight end sets they used with Kincaid and Knox and let the rookie work alone on the field.
Bills Spreading the Ball Around
After relying heavily on top receiver Stefon Diggs at times through the first seven weeks of the season, the Bills spread the ball around more in the 24-18 win over the Buccaneers on October 26. Second-year receiver Khalil Shakir had a career-best 92 yards on six catches.
After the game, Shakir spoke about the team’s efforts to remain steady despite a difficult three-game stretch where they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots.
“We just came to this game with a different mindset,” Shakir said, via The Associated Press. “Obviously, ups and downs, but [head coach Sean] McDermott tells us don’t ride the roller coaster. Stay consistent as a team and stay on the gas pedal.”
Gabe Davis set his own career high against the Buccaneers with nine receptions, with the veteran racking up 87 yards and a touchdown. Allen said the team made efforts to get Davis more involved in the short passing game.
“It’s hard to always throw it downfield to a certain guy and I think that’s hard for him as well,” Allen said. “So to develop some of this underneath stuff and allow him to put the ball in his hands and make some plays, I think in turn will open up some of the other stuff. I thought (offensive coordinator Ken) Dorsey did a great job of giving us stuff that we were familiar with.”
