Getty Bills tackle Dion Dawkins at Highmark Stadium on September 19, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills took an axe to their roster earlier this week, cutting six veterans. Amid the sweeping changes, Bills veteran Dion Dawkins appears to be worried about his future.
Dawkins signed a four-year $58.3 million contract with the Bills in 2020. Dawkins posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Buffalo NY is forever my home. Promise me That🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️ 🥺 #BillsMafia.”
Buffalo NY is forever my home. Promise me That🚶🏽♂️🚶🏽♂️ 🥺 #BillsMafia
The 30-year-old left tackle likely wants an extension before his contract expires after the 2024 season. The six-year veteran has been a key part of the Bills offensive line since he was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He’s earned Pro Bowl honors in each of the last three seasons.
But considering the Bills just said goodbye to center Mitch Morse, who still had a year left on his contract, fans and analysts strongly reacted to Dawkins’ post.
One fan commented, “Why are you walking and looking sad in this tweet… 🫣🤔 please let me stop overthinking s***.” Another fan wrote, “Seriously the cryptic nature of this has me on a ledge.” Built in Buffalo’s Kevin Siracuse responded, “This better mean an extension is coming and not a departure… ”
SB Nation’s Bruce Nolan posted, “After the emotions of this past week, Bills Mafia might need a Dion Dawkins extension to help right the ship.” Batavia Daily’s Ajay Cybulski wrote, “Dawkins had his best season in the NFL as a 29-year-old. Extend that man.”
Last season, Dawkins started every game and earned a 73.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Dawkins has a $16.6 million cap hit in 2024 and two void years totaling over $8 million. Extending him to a multi-year contract can help bring those numbers down, and secure his role in Buffalo.
Without Dawkins Dawkins, The Bills Offensive Line Would Look Drastically Different in 2024
GettyBills tackle Dion Dawkins #73 at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023.
With Morse gone, the former Bills team captain who’s anchored the offensive line since 2019, keeping Dawkins around is vital. Last season, the o-line allowed the fewest sacks (24) of Josh Allen‘s carer. After Buffalo traded Ryan Bates, who played backup for Morse all season, the Bills are shifting players around.
Buffalo plans to move Connor McGovern to center, while David Edwards competes at left guard, per The Athletic’s Tim Graham.
McGovern was one of the Bills’ biggest free agent signings last offseason. Buffalo inked the 27-year-old to a three-year, $27 million contract. The Bills restructured McGovern’s contract at the end of February, which cleared approximately $3.7 million in cap space for 2024.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia wrote, “In our season-long film review, McGovern was solid but also the lowest-graded starter of the bunch. He also has little experience at center in the NFL, having only 100 snaps there in five total seasons. McGovern did play a lot of center at Penn State, but that was at the college level and a long time ago. He might be able to do the job well, but it is a legitimate risk.”
Bills Veteran DaQuan Jones Appears to Be in the Dark About His Future In Buffalo
Dawkins isn’t the only player worried about his future in Buffalo. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, one of the Bills’ most important pending free agents, appears to be in the dark about his status.
“Twitter world! How we feeling !? I’ve been M.I.A I know missed ya too,” Jones posted on March 8. Fans immediately flooded the post with comments, hoping for an announcement that he’s re-signing with Buffalo.
Twitter fam, you know what I know 🤷🏾♂️ so idk what to tell you haha
“Twitter fam, you know what I know 🤷🏾♂️ so idk what to tell you haha,” Jones posted. Bills Mafia strongly reacted to Jones’ comment. Cover 1’s Adam Pensel posted, “It is very strange to me that he appears to have not had conversations with the Bills yet. I wonder what their plan is at DT.”