This image of Dalton Kincaid after scoring his first career touchdown is iconic and one of my all-time favorites. The pure joy on his face says it all about the heart he puts into his game. It was definitely a special moment for a player I believe will be special. What about the other rookies on the Bills 2023 roster? We'll get into them here shortly.
One of the things I enjoy doing is looking ahead to the next NFL Draft and seeing who might be available for the Bills when they make their selections. The hope is the Bills will have a very late first-round pick, but this coming year's draft is being touted as one of the deeper classes in recent years, so there will be some very talented players when Buffalo picks unless they decide to trade a first-round pick before this week's trade deadline. But look for my weekly draft articles, where I highlight various players in the coming draft that the Bills might be interested in or at least I think they should be interested in.
The Bills rookie class this year is short but there are a couple of players that Buffalo has really leaned on this year and hopefully puts to rest the narrative that Coach McDermott doesn't trust rookies. I plan to get more into that idea later but for now, let's focus on the rookies on this roster and see where they are now.
The Buffalo Bills 2023 rookie report
Practice squad & IR rookies
The Buffalo Bills currently have four rookies on their practice squad, who could play roles next season, particularly wide receivers Tyrell Shavers and Bryan Thompson. With Gabe Davis on a contract year, it's unknown what the Bills receiving corps might look like next season. Shavers was a fan favorite throughout the preseason and could be one to watch next year.
Another Bills rookie receiver, Justin Shorter, remains on IR, where he'll probably stay for the season but will also be playing for a larger role in 2024. Former Bills rookie and corner Alex Austin was signed by the Houston Texans, but they released him earlier this week. With the concerns about the position for the Bills, they likely sign Austin back to the practice squad at some point, possibly after the trade deadline.
Dorian Williams - Linebacker
Williams didn't get any snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but the hope is that he will continue to develop and learn. He's made some nice plays when called upon but has struggled in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, he has a coverage grade of 38.0. The way the Bills play defense, his coverage has to get better if he's to get on the field.
His run defense is his strong suit, as he seems to have good instincts, and fills the rush lane quickly, and flies to the ball carrier. PFF has him with a run defense grade of 70.8, very solid. His overall grade of 52.1 needs to improve but as a rookie, he's shown promise and I expect to play a role on this defense as the season progresses.
O'Cyrus Torrence - Offensive Guard
O'Cyrus Torrence has been fantastic this season, but he finally gave up his first sack of the season and the first in years. We knew it would eventually happen but he's been solid all season. He has committed four penalties on the season though, which ties him for eighth most in the league. He'll want to clean up that part of his game as the season continues.
Pro Football Focus grades his run block a 61.4 and his pass block is 62.2. His overall grade according to PFF is 60.5. The grades aren't great but they aren't poor either. He's only allowed one quarterback hit and 14 total pressures on the season. As a rookie, the numbers are solid, and I expect Torrence to only get better and become a Pro Bowl guard in this league.
Dalton Kincaid - Tight end
Dalton Kincaid will be a star in the NFL. Among Bills fans, he's already reached that level. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught five of seven targets for 65 yards and his first career touchdown. Over the last two games, he's been targeted 15 times, 13 receptions and 140 yards, plus the one touchdown. On the year, Kincaid has 30 receptions on 33 targets, 258 yards, and one touchdown.
Against the Bucs, PPF graded him a 73.9 in the passing game and a 73.0 overall. The one area that he'll need to continue working on is his run-blocking. In this game, he was scored 54.8. On the year though, he's been stellar in the passing game, averaging 8.6 yards per reception (expect this to increase as the year progresses) and when targeted, the quarterback has a QB rating of 96.7.