As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2026 NFL season, Bills Wire will take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. The team has some cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they'll have help from some new additions as well.
Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top-30 most important players on the roster. We'll recap their 2025 season, look ahead to what they'll offer in 2026, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.
Next on the countdown is Dion Dawkins.
Background
Position: Left tackle
Age at start of season: 32
Experience: tenth year
2026 cap hit: $24,837,833
2025 recap
Dion Dawkins missed just two games in 2025, one in Week 13 with a concussion
and the other in Week 18 while the Bills rested starters. He made his fifth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.1 overall grade for the year, which ranked 26th among NFL tackles. He ranked seventh among all tackles in pass blocking with a grade of 81.8.
Dawkins has 153 career starts (all for the Bills), with 16 of them coming in the postseason.
2026 outlook
Dawkins returns as the starting left tackle for Josh Allen and the Bills offense. Dawkins reportedly lost 43 pounds in the offseason, focusing on becoming lighter and quicker as he enters his 32-year-old season.
“I will be quicker, faster and more lean on the football field,” Dawkins said this summer on the Up & Adams Show. “Being in the offseason, being around Myles Garrett, I said ‘you know what, this guy is the best for a reason.’ He looks like the best. He acts like he’s the best. He trains like he’s the best. He works out like he’s the best. He’s the best. What does Dion do? Ok, I want to do everything the exact same way. On the football field, I’m going to be quicker.”
Biggest question: How will new pieces fit together?
While Dawkins' role as the left tackle and the protector of Allen's blindside will remain the same, there will be a couple new faces around him. For one, he'll have a new running mate in Alec Anderson, who replaces David Edwards at left guard. And, the Bills also have a new offensive line coach in 2026 as Pat Meyer replaces the now-retired Aaron Kromer. This will be Dawkins' fourth o-line coach in his ten years as a pro. As one of the leaders of the offense, Dawkins will be relied upon to be the glue that keeps the unit together through some growing pains.
30 most important Bills of 2026
Check back as we continue the countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 30 most important Bills players of 2026: No. 5 Dion Dawkins
