[Buscaglia]: How the Bills unleashed Dalton Kincaid against Texans: 7 Week 1 observations

In his first game as both offensive play caller and head coach, Joe Brady made packages with multiple tight ends the star of the show. Including penalties, the Bills wound up with 56 total plays, and they used at least two tight ends on 29 of those, an astounding 51.8 percent. Their commitment to 13 personnel — three tight ends — was even more striking: The Bills used that grouping on 20 of their 56 plays, or 35.7 percent.

For context, that 13 personnel usage more than doubled any Bills single-game rate since they drafted Allen in 2018. The previous high in one game for 13 personnel over the last three years was only 16 percent, according to TruMedia.

They felt empowered to use 13 personnel for one distinct reason: They wanted to unleash a fully healthy Dalton Kincaid as the cheat code to the matchup. By using so many tight ends at once, the Bills forced the Texans to keep heavier players on the field. However, Kincaid looked legitimately different than he had at any point since late 2024. The player who flashed so much potential in the second half of his rookie season in 2023 was back.

Even on simple motion in the backfield, his acceleration was eye-opening. He can challenge defenses at the intermediate and deep levels and make difficult catches look easy. A player that size, with that speed and receiving ability, is a potential matchup nightmare for opposing teams when he’s fully healthy.