BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since he arrived in Buffalo, one of the players Bills fans are most excited about this year is rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Utah product was Buffalo’s first-round pick this past spring and has received glowing reviews from coaches and players since getting to Orchard Park.
That continued this past weekend after the Bills’ 27-15 preseason loss to the Steelers on Saturday. One of the lone bright spots from the game was Kincaid’s play, with head coach Sean McDermott saying he saw Kincaid “flash” and quarterback Josh Allen saying Kincaid making some nice plays was a “positive sign.”
After limited play time in the preseason opener against the Colts, Kincaid tallied 3 catches for 45 yards against Pittsburgh. The performance included his first NFL catch, which came on the Bills’ first offensive play of the game. It was on a pass from Allen, with Kincaid working the middle of the field much like he figures to do this season.
“We walked through it in the hotel earlier that day,” Kincaid said. “Coach (Rob) Boras, you know, kind of looked at me and gave me, you know, like a nod like, it’s pretty cool huh? So I had a good idea it was coming my way. It was kind of set up for that.”
The play marked a special and memorable moment for the rookie.
“It was awesome, kind of just getting that out of the way,” Kincaid said. “I feel like it’s one of those things where once it happens, it’s like a deep breath comes after that, and then it’s like, let’s go.”
For the rookie, getting extended reps in the preseason is valuable experience before he plays in his first regular season game in a few weeks against the Jets.
“I think it’s super important,” Kincaid said. “You can be out on the practice field all you want, going up against the Buffalo Bills every day, but you can’t really emulate those game experiences. Those situations where you know Josh (Allen) is adjusting stuff post-snap. Just being able to have that communication on the field and actually have that experience before the regular season.”
Kincaid and the Bills will have one more preseason game, Saturday in Chicago against the Bears, before the regular season opener on September 11 in New York.