Every NFL season is a bit of a roller coaster, but Dion Dawkins took that to the extreme in 2021.
The Buffalo Bills’ franchise left tackle was hit hard by Covid-19 last summer, spending four days in the hospital during training camp – a time in which he later admitted he wasn’t sure if he would ever leave.
Dawkins made it back in time for the season opener, but clearly wasn’t himself against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Whenever you get hit with something like that, like the Covid battle, or an illness or whatever, your body's trying to recover the entire season,” Dawkins said last week. “If you're sick, your body just needs to rest, but when you're playing football, and you're out there, beating your body down, you're going against what the body is trying to do.”
Dawkins started the first 13 games of the season and played every meaningful snap before coming down with Covid again ahead of the Week 15 game against Carolina. This time, thankfully, his symptoms were much less severe, and he was able to return in time for the Week 16 game at New England.
People are also reading…
Although he didn’t start that game, an injury to guard Ike Boettger forced the Bills to juggle things up front, and Dawkins came off the bench to play 59 offensive snaps – despite not practicing all week – in what was the biggest win of the regular season.
“That just kind of speaks to the professional he is,” center Mitch Morse said after that game. “We're all trying to grow and be better men and better football players, and I think that's just a testament to him staying mentally engaged in a scary time, right? Like, you get Covid twice and the first time it really kind of knocked him down a little bit, and then you still have a game plan, you still have to worry about your family and all that stuff. To be honest, like myself trying to put people in positions today, he didn't miss a beat, and I think that's a testament to him and a testament to the guys all around, really echoing calls in a loud environment. It was just great to see.”
From that point on, Dawkins’ season was on the upswing. He played some of his best football over the last couple of weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. On Sunday, he’ll conclude what was a trying season with his first Pro Bowl appearance.
“It's just a testimony of my faith,” he said last week. “I had nothing but support all through it. … When I look at the accolades now, I don't even see myself. I see everybody in my O-line room. Every last person, from the coaches, to my center, to my guards, to all the up-and-down battles that the guys have to deal with, they all poured into me and we all poured into each other.”
Dawkins expected that going from college to the NFL would change his relationship with teammates. At Temple, players spent every day together, going from class to practice to meals together. At the professional level, players have families and responsibilities outside the facility. Finding a similar connection in Buffalo hit home for Dawkins during his lowest moments.
“To feel that full bond of brotherhood was definitely different,” he said. “It basically just brought more respect for the guys that are walking around in this building.”
That starts with head coach Sean McDermott, Dawkins said.
“He pulled me aside, he checked on me every day, open conversation, off-the-record conversations organically, wasn't like coach to player, it was like, man to man.” Dawkins said. “I respected it, I really did. After the conversations that we would have, it kind of like turned on another gear. And he probably doesn't know that I would give him that credit, but he has no idea what type of leader he is. He definitely triggered a gear that I needed to keep going this last stretch of the season.”
Dawkins wasn’t even sure last week when he spoke whether he’d actually go to the Pro Bowl, saying it would feel weird for him to be there without his offensive line mates. He’s on the final AFC roster, though, and expected to play in Sunday’s game at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
“It's my first one, so I don't really know what to do,” Dawkins said. “This is something that every player dreams of … but I also don't want to go and enjoy something when my teammates are home. That's not really cool, but I'm going to figure out what's the right thing.”
It was clear when he spoke the day after the Bills were eliminated by the Chiefs in the divisional round of the postseason that Dawkins wasn’t over the loss. The realization that changes are certain to be coming is a tough pill to swallow.
“The bond is unmatched. I would say one of the biggest, or one of the saddest things about ending a football season not on our terms is the locker room will never look the same,” Dawkins said. “It'll never be the same one year to the next. It's just sad that our brotherhood is going to be broken apart and some guys will be here and some guys won't. And when you have that much love for one another, it could definitely like bring you to some sad points.”
Dawkins will certainly be back, but to his point, the offensive line could be in store for plenty of other changes this offseason. Ryan Bates, who took over as a starter late in the year, is a restricted free agent. Boettger is an unrestricted free agent coming off a torn Achilles. With space under the salary cap at a premium, the Bills could choose to move on from veterans Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams. Even Morse could be a consideration, depending on the blocking scheme favored by new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and whoever is hired as the new offensive line coach.
“I just hope that the guys upstairs just continue to do what they do,” Dawkins said. “That's put the right guys in a room and on a roster to put ourselves in a position to have a chance. I just wish nothing but the best of luck to everybody, and whatever is next for us all, I just hope that we all just step right.”
No matter who returns, big things will be expected out of the Bills again, especially with quarterback Josh Allen playing at such a high level. Although the result against the Chiefs isn’t what Dawkins or anyone else on the team wanted, it showed the Bills are right there with the top teams in the AFC.
“I can confidently and respectively and humbly say this now, that it's two Goliaths fighting,” Dawkins said of going up against the Chiefs. “It's not a Goliath and a little boy anymore. We have showed what type of unit we are and the world sees it. I'm definitely happy that the world sees it, but I'm not happy with the result. ... When two greats meet, something happens, and there's going to be a winner and there's going to be a loser, because at the end of it, it's a game that we all play. And there's a winner and loser in every game and it sucks that we had to take that shorter end.”
“A loss is a loss. Anytime that we don't win the Super Bowl, it all goes in the same bucket. … We literally have to jump off of the mountain that we were climbing and start over. We have to put our best foot forward, but it's just time to recover, rebuild and just get back to a fresh start.”
