EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the seventh installment in a series breaking down each position ahead of the opening of Buffalo Bills training camp July 29.
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ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills have good tight ends, haven’t you heard?
Since the Bills drafted Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, we have heard a lot about the team’s tight ends. Kincaid had a superb rookie season, but a nagging PCL tear has slowed him the last two seasons.
A lot of teams would like Dawson Knox as their No. 1 tight end, but he hasn’t been able to match the consecutive 500-yard seasons that earned him a contract extension in 2022 and he’s missed 13 games due to injury over the last three seasons.
Jackson Hawes made an immediate impact as a blocker during his rookie season, but hasn’t shown he is capable of being the receiving threat Kincaid and Knox have established themselves to be.
And much has been made about the NFL’s trend toward heavier personnel usage to take advantage of defenses built to defend the pass. It seems like the Bills would be tailor-made for that.
We just haven’t seen it.
Aside from the first handful of games during Kincaid’s rookie season, the Bills haven’t used multi-tight end packages at a high rate. After a wrist injury to Knox in 2023, the Bills largely scrapped their 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) packages.
In fact, the Bills spent two seasons leading the league in using a sixth offensive lineman as a tight end instead of just using two two tight ends. They even moved away from that last season.
So what the Bills have are a collection of interchangeable tight ends. Knox re-signed on a more team-friendly contract and Kincaid claims to be healthier than last year after once again passing on surgery.
So perhaps this is the season the Bills add more multi-tight end looks. Because last year they ranked 27th in 12 personnel rate (11.2%) and 17th in 13 personnel (4.6%).
The only dual-tight end sets the Bills used frequently was 22 (two running backs and two tight ends) which they used on over 50 plays more than anyone else.
“Everyone brings something different to the table,” Knox said. “It’s not like we’re all the same in terms of our skill sets or strengths and weaknesses as players. … We kind of work off each other. Me and Dalton in the game together is a whole different animal than Jackson and Dalton in the game together. I think that versatility is huge.”
Kincaid’s health is the key to everything when it comes to Buffalo’s tight end use. The Bills have hinted at continuing to keep Kincaid on a pitch count like they did last year to manage his body.
But Kincaid beefed up 10 to 12 pounds during the offseason to handle the punishment that accrues throughout the season. More importantly, the Bills exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, giving him an $8.162 million salary in 2027.
General manager Brandon Beane responded like it was a no-brainer decision in January and it’s unlikely the Bills would make such a financial commitment to a player they had health concerns about. And if Kincaid is healthy, rotating tight ends won’t benefit the Bills.
Kincaid played 37.6% of the snaps in games he played, although that was skewed near the end of the season when the Bills were attempting to manage his health. Knox led the way at 57.7% and Hawes at 43%.
In the first five games, when Kincaid was healthier, he was still only at 49.3%. That was behind Knox (52.7), while Hawes still cut into his snaps at 36.9%. And even when Kincaid was in the game, it didn’t always feel like he was an integral part of the offense, even though he had 20 receptions and three touchdowns in the first five games.
A healthy Kincaid is Buffalo’s most dynamic receiving threat and that includes new wide receiver D.J. Moore. Josh Allen has thrown for 25 touchdowns and one interception in 277 attempts with Kincaid on the field the past two seasons, compared to 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 666 attempts when he’s not in the game.
Their tight ends are certainly an asset, but if they want to use them all, the Bills would be wise to use more than one at a time. While 12 personnel usage only jumped half a percentage point from 2024 to 2025, 13 personnel sets went from 3.6% to 5.4% last year. And all multi-tight end use went from 27.7% to 29.3%, according to SumerSports.com.
“I don’t need him to be Jackson Hawes and digging out blocks on every single play,” Bills head coach Joe Brady said. “… They might play the same position, but they’re different types of players. I feel like he’s in a really good headspace right now. Him and Josh always have great chemistry. Keeping him healthy and in a good headspace is only going to help us. We know what our offense has looked like with him on the football field.”
Training camp battles
Rostered tight ends (5): Jackson Hawes, Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Keleki Latu, Shane Zylstra.
The top three tight ends are as safe as any group on the roster. They’re not going anywhere. But it’s not out of the question the Bills keep four tight ends on the final 53-man roster.
The Bills are high on Keleki Latu, a 6-foot-6 second-year player who made four catches for 35 yards in five games last season as an undrafted free agent, spending most of the season on the practice squad before getting signed to the active roster following Kincaid’s injury.
A blocking specialist, Zylstra signed during the spring after four seasons in Detroit, making 18 catches for 136 yards and four touchdowns in 35 games for the Lions.
What will determine how many tight ends the Bills keep is whether or not they keep a fullback on the roster. Reggie Gilliam signed with the New England Patriots during the offseason and the Bills are coming off using two-running back sets on 22.2% of their plays, the sixth-highest rate in the league.
Buffalo signed Ben VanSumeren, a converted linebacker from the Eagles, and Wisconsin undrafted free agent Jackson Ackers. VanSumeren has had two season-ending knee injuries since switching to fullback and has just 22 career fullback snaps to his name.
Fullbacks are part of the tight end room, so if the Bills feel one of their tight ends can fill that role better, they could take four. But VanSumeren has an early edge because of his versatility and special teams ability.