Bills' top Josh Allen protector already laying foundation for next career

For now, it's all football for Buffalo Bills' left tackle Dion Dawkins, but don't be surprised to see his work on the silver screen sometime down the road.

The affable Dawkins is one of the current Bills chosen for a role in Hallmark Channel's Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story movie, which kicked off production across Western New York last week. The four-time Pro Bowl participant was made available for questions as the team hosted a joint press conference with Hallmark to promote the film.

"My personality's huge. I love this stuff. Eventually, like one day, I want to really take acting serious, when I'm done playing. This is not a start, but this is a beautiful welcoming greeting to the world," said Dawkins, who may eventually make the transition from the gridiron to the screen, a path once famously traveled by Bubba Smith and Carl Weathers.

The 31-year-old Dawkins couldn't help but relate his Hallmark acting experience to the game he makes a living playing.

Dion Dawkins walks of — Dec 1, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) leaves the field after winning a game against the San Francisco 49ers to clinch the AFC East title at Highmark Stadium | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

"Everybody has a role," said Dawkins. "It's almost like a football game like where you got to play together, be together so you can win and for everything to fall the right way."

The New Jersey-born hog molly has also explored the production side of show business in recent months.

"This offseason, I actually have been playing around with film a little more. I went to an NFL workshop, which they took us to California and we went to Hidden Empire," said Dawkins. "I have a short film that I won't release until after the Hallmark movie."

The Bills have Dawkins under contract through the 2027 season, so he won't be making a full-time career change just yet. Buffalo's longest-tenured lineman is all in on protecting quarterback Josh Allen on Buffalo's quest for a Super Bowl title.

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