Bills' Dion Dawkins for Calvin Ridley Trade Proposal Would be Disastrous

Dion Dawkins has been a cornerstone of the Buffalo Bills offensive line, but there were rumblings this offseason that he could be on the market.

Bills On SI writer Owen Klein even named him a surprise candidate to be traded early in the offseason. Alex Brasky also discussed how his contract could make him someone to watch in trade rumors, but nothing ever materialized and Dawkins is set to cover Josh Allen's blindside again this season.

That hasn't ended the rumors, however, as FanSided's Jake Beckman recently named one player all 32 teams should trade for. When discussing the Tennessee Titans, he named Dawkins as their top target. He also said this would be a "universal win," since the Bills could land Calvin Ridley in exchange for Dawkins.

"Dawkins is running out of guaranteed money on the three-year deal that he signed back in 2024, so the potential for the Bills to move him is small, but it is there," Beckman wrote.

"To make this more interesting, in this trade, the Titans would be sending Calvin Ridley to Buffalo. Josh Allen would get a guy who’s proven to be a WR1, and Cam Ward would have his blind side locked down. It’s a universal win."

Injuries limited Ridley to just seven games in 2025. He recorded just 17 receptions for 303 yards and no touchdowns. He's unlikely to be in the team's plans going forward after selecting Ohio State's Carnell Tate at No. 4 overall. Trading the 31-year-old would be a great move for the Titans, especially since it would give them a talented pass protector.

The Bills trading Dion Dawkins would be detrimental to the offensive line

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins celebrates Josh Allen’s first quarter touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

For Buffalo, however, this move makes very little sense. It was already a tough sell to move on from Dawkins before the draft, but doing so now would leave Buffalo without a proven starting left tackle.

They would have to rely on either Tylan Gable or Chase Lundt, which would be a downgrade. Buffalo is already trying to figure out who will replace David Edwards at left guard, and adding one more question mark just ahead of minicamps would be counterproductive.

If Dawkins was going to be traded, it would have needed to take place before the draft, as Klein mentioned. They would also need to add draft picks to fill out their roster with young, affordable talent, not an older receiver coming off a broken fibula who carries a cap hit of $15.2 million in 2026 and $29.75 million in 2027.

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