As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2026 NFL season, Bills Wire will take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. The team has some cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they'll have help from some new additions as well.
Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top-30 most important players on the roster. We'll recap their 2025 season, look ahead to what they'll offer in 2026, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.
Next on the countdown is Dalton Kincaid.
Background
Position: Tight end
Age at start of season: 26
Experience: Fourth year
2026 cap hit: $4,282,434
2025 recap
Due to injury, Dalton Kincaid only appeared in 12 games and logged
37% of the snaps in 2025. But, he was extremely efficient with his opportunities when he was on the field. Despite only having 49 targets on the season (29th in the NFL among tight ends), he led all tight ends in crucial categories such as yards per reception (14.6), yards per target (11.7), yards per route run (2.79), and passer rating when targeted (149.2). His 2.79 YPRR ranked third in the entire NFL, trailing only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He finished the year as the third-highest-graded tight end in the league by PFF.
2026 outlook
Kincaid returns as Josh Allen's top pass-catching tight end and one of his favorite targets in the offense along with D.J. Moore and Khalil Shakir. The addition of Moore on the outside will attract attention from opposing defenses, which should lead to more opportunities for Kincaid down the field.
Biggest question: Can he stay healthy?
Kincaid has been hampered by the torn PCL in his left knee since it originally came about in Week 10 of 2024. It continued to flare up throughout 2024 and lingered through the 2025 season. He once again avoided knee surgery this offseason and has focused on getting healthy and stronger, and according to head coach Joe Brady, Kincaid's in great shape. "He looks bigger," Brady said. "We do some competitions in camp, and he’s out there kind of dominating it… we did a little tug-of-war, and he was the anchor. There’s confidence in his strength and his physicality right now. I don’t need him to be Jackson Hawes, digging out blocks every play. I feel like he’s in a really good head space right now. Him and Josh Allen always have great chemistry. We know what our offense has looked like with him on the field."
30 most important Bills of 2026
Check back as we continue the countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 30 most important Bills players of 2026: No. 11 Dalton Kincaid
