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Bills head coach shares promising update on Dalton Kincaid

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is heading into the 2026 season facing uncertainty after a lingering knee injury, but may have gotten a good sign about his availability.

Kincaid has been suffering the lingering effects of a torn PCL that he suffered three seasons ago, leading to five lost games last season. The team hinted that he may need to undergo some load management in the coming season, but the tight end shared a video that showed he’s making progress at increasing his strength and stability.

Dalton Kincaid Strengthening Knee

Kincaid has been working with Derek Samuel, a San Diego-based physical therapist who has been working to strengthen the tight end’s knee. Samuel shared a video of Kincaid’s progress on Instagram, showing some work to increase his explosiveness.

“Drills like this one with the load well above the knee start with the ability to generate force,” Samuel wrote. “But eccentric control and the ability to absorb the ground with the quad and then figure out what to do with that stored energy is what separates great athletes like @daltonkincaid from others…”

The update came after Bills general manager Brandon Beane had warned that Kincaid may not be back to 100% for the upcoming season. Beane hinted that the team may need to take a careful approach, keeping his workload lower during the regular season.

“I think it’s too early to tell,” Beane said, via SI.com. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that he won’t [have any issues]. But I think we’ll just see how that goes.”

Beane said at the time that Kincaid was working with the team’s medical staff and outside professionals, which turned out to be Samuel.

“There’s a ton of things that our [medical staff] has done, and we’ve been in contact with him,” added Beane. “He’s not in Buffalo, but he’s been really working with some people on a plan to and just hopefully you have no setbacks.”

Kincaid got a good sign this spring when he was able to take part in the team’s OTAs and minicamp, putting him on track to participate in full for training camp next month.

Bills Working Through Other Injuries

The Bills have several other players who are working to return from injuries, including edge rusher Michael Hoecht. As SI.com’s Alex Brasky noted, Hoecht has made some strong progress after suffering a torn Achilles just two games into his season.

“Hoecht displayed noticeable progress throughout the offseason, which he began sidelined with athletic trainers,” Brasky wrote. “He proceeded to took a step forward at minicamp, when he participated in individual drills alongside his fellow defensive linemen. Hoecht was lost for the year in 2025 due to an Achilles injury he sustained on Nov. 2, but it seems as if his goal of returning by training camp is well within reach.”

Bills linebacker Dorian Williams is also working his way back from a lower-body injury that he suffered during the offseason.

“Williams was lost for the game due to a neck injury he suffered on Buffalo’s 2025 divisional round defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos. However, the ailment he is currently dealing with appears to be unrelated,” Brasky wrote. “If Williams cannot return in time for camp, that would place rookie LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the driver’s seat for a starting role at inside linebacker.”