Locals in the NFL: Healthy Dalton Kincaid giving Bills offense another trusted weapon
Sep 18, 2026, 2:03 PM
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Dalton Kincaid #86 of the Buffalo Bills runs with the ball after a reception against Derrick Barnes #55 of the Detroit Lions during the first quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2026 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – Fourth-year tight end Dalton Kincaid looks rejuvenated after battling injuries during the past two seasons with the Buffalo Bills.
The former first-round pick has already caught 12 passes, and his 225 receiving yards lead the NFL in a small early-season sample size. More importantly for Buffalo, Kincaid has quickly re-established himself as one of Josh Allen’s most trusted targets.
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He followed up a strong Week 1 performance with seven catches for 95 yards and his second touchdown of the year in a 41-31 win over the Detroit Lions, marking the first game ever played at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium.
Kincaid’s early production gives the Bills another reliable option in a passing game built around Allen’s ability to extend plays and attack every level of the field. If Kincaid can stay healthy, his route running, hands, and size could make him a central piece of Buffalo’s offense and a difficult matchup for opposing defenses.
Allen, an MVP hopeful, has targeted Kincaid more than any other player in the offense this season. That connection could be especially important as the Bills look to build consistency and make another deep postseason push.
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Dalton Kincaid’s path to Buffalo
Before transferring to Utah in 2020, Kincaid was a standout at the University of San Diego. The Las Vegas native played for the Toreros from 2018-19, recording more than 1,000 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
Kincaid saw limited action in his first year in Salt Lake City. He took on a larger role in 2021, catching 36 passes for 510 yards and eight touchdowns.
His breakout came in 2022, when he hauled in 70 passes for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. Kincaid finished his Utah career with 107 receptions for 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He also helped the Utes win back-to-back Pac-12 titles in his final two seasons. Utah went 23-10 with Kincaid on the roster.
The Bills selected Kincaid with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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As a rookie, the former Ute caught 73 passes for 673 yards and two touchdowns. He added eight receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in two playoff games.
Kincaid’s second season was slowed by injuries, but he still finished with 44 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns. He again dealt with injuries in 2025, finishing with 39 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns while helping Buffalo reach the AFC divisional round.
Now healthy, Kincaid appears positioned to become the kind of steady, high-volume receiving threat the Bills envisioned when they drafted him in the first round.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
