Every summer, ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler surveys league executives, scouts, and coaches about the Top 10 players at each position, and today he released the results for the tight end position.
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid did not make the Top 10, instead getting an honorable mention distinction. Here’s what Fowler wrote about Kincaid:
“A very gifted athlete. He hasn’t put it all together yet, but that’s partly due to injury — he absolutely can. I expect him to.” — NFC executive
Fine assessment,
wouldn’t you say?
It’s been universally agreed upon since his days as a prospect that Kincaid was one of the smoothest, most dynamic athletes at the position.
As rookie, he caught 73 passes for 673 yards with two scores on 60% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps.
In his sophomore campaign in the NFL, Kincaid’s numbers significantly dipped to 44 receptions and 448 yards. He appeared on just 43.2% of the Bills snaps.
Last year, the snap-count decreased continued, as Kincaid played just 27% of the snaps and caught 39 passes for 571 yards with five scores.
Much of this you know already.
What I’m wondering — how high do you think Kincaid can be on this list going into 2027?
Ahead of him in the Top 10 were:
- 10. Travis Kelce
- 9. Mark Andrews
- 8. Kyle Pitts Sr.
- 7. Colston Loveland
- 6. Tucker Kraft
- 5. Tyler Warren
- 4. Sam LaPorta
- 3. George Kittle
- 2. Trey McBride
- 1. Brock Bowers
Looking at that Top 10 — I have one, very minor gripe. I like Warren. He was fun as a rookie. I can’t call him a Top 5 tight end already.
This Top 10 is fascinating too because, it features an eclectic mix of young and old players at the position. Kittle is an absolute monster. He’s 32 and returning from a torn Achilles in the playoffs. Kelce is 36. Andrews is 30.
To me, Kincaid can squarely find himself in the Top 5 to Top 7 if he plays on 40+ percent of the offensive snaps for the Bills in 2026. That’s the line of demarcation for me this season. Get him close to 50% of the snaps, and he can be hugely impactful for Buffalo’s offense.
There’s a tremendous young crop of tight ends, and if healthy, Kincaid is part of said group.
Despite clearly not being 100% healthy a season ago, he firmly established himself as a matchup nightmare for every defense. His 2.79 yards-per-route run figure led all qualifying tight ends during the regular season. That’s a high YPRR even for a wide receiver.
As the NFC executive mentioned, injuries have held Kincaid back.
If he’s healthy, he can be right on the cusp of the elite tier of tight ends in the post Kelce and Kittle era.
