Getty Tyrel Dodson #53 of the Buffalo Bills against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on October 09, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills made it a priority this offseason to help Josh Allen stay more protected, so fans were furious on Tuesday after a report that one of Allen’s own teammates may have put the star quarterback in harm’s way.
Linebacker Tyrel Dodson was involved in a fight during the team’s August 15 practice, with WROC-TV sports director Thad Brown reporting that Dodson ended up swinging a helmet during the skirmish.
As Brown reported, Allen was involved in the argument and afterward was furious at Dodson.
“Tyrel Dodson at center of nasty fight to start practice today,” Brown shared on Twitter. “He and Morse nose to nose after play. Things seemed to calm. Then ramped up with a helmet swinging. Josh Allen rightly furious at that player. Dodson came out of the drill hot. Got earful from LB coach Bobby Babich.”
Many fans shared Allen’s sentiment, with some even calling on the team to part ways with the once-troubled Dodson.
Fans Want Discipline for Tyrel Dodson
After reports of the fight, many fans called on the team to hand down discipline to Dodson.
“A swinging helmet by a professional football player = a weapon,” one fan shared on Twitter. “Something serious has to be done about that”
The Bills have seen other fights during training camp, but fans believed that Dodson crossed the line when he reportedly swung a helmet.
“Swinging a helmet is unacceptable. He needs to be disciplined,” a fan tweeted.
Other fans noted that Dodson has a checkered past, including a six-game suspension in his rookie season stemming from an arrest for domestic violence and disorderly conduct.
There were no injuries reported in Tuesday’s fight, and it appeared that Dodson and Allen were never physically engaged during the fracas. Reporter Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 shared that the two had strong words after the combatants had been separated.
“It was a very intense Bills practice,” Capaccio wrote. “There was a big melee and at one point someone had a helmet and was swinging it over top of the pile. Josh Allen and Tyrel Dodson (who got into it with Spencer Brown at the start) had a VERY heated exchange when everyone separated.”
Tyrel Dodson in Key Position Battle
While Allen downplayed the fight after the practice, head coach Sean McDermott did not address the incident and there is no indication if Dodson or others could see discipline.
It would seem unlikely for the Bills to consider releasing Dodson, who has been competing to fill the middle linebacker role left vacant when Pro Bowler Tremaine Edmunds left in free agency.
As Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted, the competition still appears to be open after an up-and-down performance from Dodson in the team’s preseason opener on August 12 against the Indianapolis Colts.
“The battle to replace Tremaine Edmunds rolls on for another week… especially since [Terrell] Bernard did not play against Indianapolis due to a hamstring injury,” Wojton wrote. “Dodson saw extended playing time but was a mixed bag.”