The Bills will not have their top tight end on the field this weekend against the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with plenty of absences in Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Their opponent, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week and incredibly healthy for this point in the regular season. However, the Bills will be missing starting tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was listed as out on Friday’s injury report. Veteran backup Dawson Knox is expected to start in his place.
Kincaid was the Bills first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and was an immediate contributor in Buffalo. After a productive college career at San Diego State and Utah, Kincaid quickly built a strong rapport with quarterback Josh Allen and recorded 73 receptions for 673 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns last season.
Given his strong rookie campaign, Kincaid was viewed as a potential breakout candidate, especially after Buffalo traded Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Texans during the offseason. However, Kincaid has fallen a bit short of his productivity last year, and that was when he was healthy. He will be missing his second game of the season after suffering a knee injury during the Bills 30-20 victory over the Colts on November 10th.
As backups go, Knox has a fairly strong track record, having started at tight end for years in Buffalo prior to Kincaid’s arrival. In fact, Knox was selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2022 season. Nevertheless, his receiving productivity has significantly diminished since Kincaid’s arrival. He has 14 receptions for 182 yards and one touchdown across 11 games so far this year.