Bills' Dion Dawkins Just Misses ESPN's Top NFL Offensive Tackle Rankings

Dion Dawkins is entering his 10th season as the starting left tackle for the Buffalo Bills. A second-round pick out of Temple in 2017, Dawkins has become a fixture on Buffalo's offensive line and has established himself as one of the best starters in the league.

This past season, he earned his fifth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, but there are still some questions about his game. While Bills' fans overall appreciate the work that Dawkins does, there are those who get frustrated by his untimely penalties. He has also had his effort called out as well during his tenure. Ralph Ventre of Bills On SI even defined his play as sloppy during a stretch of the 2025 season, saying the Bills needed more from their star lineman.

Those concerns might be what kept Dawkins from landing in a recent ranking of the top players at his position in the NFL. ESPN is conducting their annual poll of NFL coaches, executives, and scouts and they just released their top 10 offensive tackles. Dawkins missed out, but was given an honorable mention.

Why did Dion Dawkins miss the cut?

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins celebrates Josh Allen’s first quarter touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For those wondering why he didn't make the cut, an anonymous NFC executive shed some light on that. In the piece by Jeremey Fowler, the unnamed executive calls out the inconsistent effort from Dawkins, but does say that he's good both in run blocking as well as pass protection.

"A solid starter, plays with an edge, can be good in both phases but shows inconsistent effort." -- NFC executive

There lies some of the frustration which was voiced in the piece from Ventre mentioned earlier. Dawkins has the talent to stand out as one of the best linemen in the NFL, and can more than hold his own as a pass protector as well as a run blocker. The problem has been whether or not he can remain focused and give his best effort on every play.

That's why Alex Brasky of Bills On SI recently made the case to consider trading Dawkins. Brasky said they could consider starting rookie Jude Bowry, but his main argument centered around Dawkins' decline in 2025 and his immense salary.

As Brasky writes, Dawkins allowed just nine sacks from 2022 through 2024, but had a major decline this past season, allowing seven in 2025 alone. He also said that Dawkins led the team with 10 penalties, which is something that the entire Bills Mafia noticed.

Clearly, trading Dawkins now isn't the answer, but he has to give Buffalo more in 2026 if he wants to remain with the team beyond this season.

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