Dalton Kincaid has become one of Josh Allen’s go-to guys in the Buffalo Bills offense and is one of the more talented young tight ends in football. There are plenty of interesting things about the player, from his middle name, Mosser, to his journey from zero-star recruit to first-round NFL Draft pick.
The tight end’s helmet usually sports a Canadian flag, alongside the stars and stripes of the USA, but what is Kincaid’s link to America’s neighbours to the North?
What Fueled Dalton Kincaid’s Rise to the NFL?
Kincaid was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 18, 1999. He is the son of Clarke and Vicki Kincaid and attended Faith Lutheran High School in Summerlin, Nevada. The now-Super Bowl hopeful didn’t play football until his senior year of high school, after his friends convinced him to join the team.
Kincaid had previously focused on basketball but excelled in his only year of high school football, earning all-state honors with 745 total yards and eight touchdowns. At the University of San Diego, he totalled 1,209 yards and 19 touchdowns in two years, leading to his decision to transfer to Utah.
Despite the step up to the Pac-12, the tight end continued to shine. He posted strong numbers for Utah in both the 2021 and 2022 college football seasons, becoming one of the program’s top pass-catching tight ends over his final two years in college after a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
That was enough for the Bills to target him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The team even traded up to get him, sending a fourth-round pick (130th overall) to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up two spots to grab their guy.
Why Does Kincaid Sport a Canadian Flag on His Helmet?
Despite being born and raised in the United States, Kincaid qualifies for dual citizenship through his mother, Vicki. Vicki comes from Sarnia, a city in Lambton County, Ontario. Situated on Lake Huron, Sarnia borders Michigan along the St. Clair River and is roughly an hour’s drive from Detroit.
Growing up in Sarnia would likely have been far better preparation for a career in Buffalo than Kincaid’s childhood in Nevada. Nevertheless, the 6’4″ tight end looks perfectly at home in Western New York. Whether Kincaid visits Canada often is unclear, but he clearly holds that part of his heritage dear. His decision to wear the Canadian Flag on his helmet will also no doubt go down well with the thousands of Canadians who cross the border to watch the Bills play home games.
In 31 games for Buffalo (21 starts), Kincaid has tallied 125 receptions for around 1,200 yards and five touchdowns and is a key part of the team’s impressive offense. If he can help the team win its first-ever Super Bowl in the coming years, he’ll do it representing both sides of the USA-Canada border.
