Injuries have hampered Dalton Kincaid over each of the past two seasons. He opted not to undergo surgery to repair an injured PCL during the 2025 offseason, a decision which was repeated this past winter.
“After the season ended, I talked to a lot of doctors who know a lot more than I do regarding the PCL and everything that has to do with health, and they advised against it,” Kincaid said when reflecting on his choice (via The Athletic’s Tim Graham). “So I believe them, and that kind of went into setting a good foundation for strength around the knee to support it.”
Kincaid entered the league with high expectations, and he enjoyed a productive rookie season with the Bills (73-673-2 statline). Issues with his knee have led to missed time and a reduced workload since then, however. In 2025, he only logged a snap share of 38% and was targeted a career-low 49 times. That did not prevent the Bills from exercising Kincaid’s fifth-year option. He is due $8.16MM in 2027 as a result.
Upgrading at the receiver position was seen as a priority entering the 2026 offseason. Buffalo swung a trade for D.J. Moore before selecting Skylar Bell in the fourth round of last month’s draft. Curtis Samuel was cut in March, while Brandin Cooks remains unsigned at this time despite having spoken with Buffalo about a new deal. While the team will be counting on a step forward from Keon Coleman, the WR spot will face a number of questions entering 2026. A strong showing from Kincaid would of course alleviate concerns in the passing game.
“I’d say it’s probably the best I’ve felt in my career at this point in the year,” the 26-year-old said of his overall health situation at this time. “Just not having those thoughts of the knee, especially last year. At this point, I feel really good. I’m not even thinking about it out there.”
Dawson Knox is still in the fold thanks to the new deal he agreed to earlier this offseason. That will offer stability at the tight end spot, but a productive campaign from Kincaid would offer a welcomed boost to the Bills’ offense. It would also, of course, help his chances of landing an extension next offseason. 2026 will again represent a test case of whether or not he made the right decision to have his knee recover without undergoing a procedure, but he is positioned to at least begin the campaign with a clean bill of health.