The Buffalo Bills have made a lot of changes this offseason, moving on from several key defensive players to save some salary cap space. That has opened up several needs to go along with ones that already existed with players hitting free agency.
A lot of focus will be placed on the secondary, where the Bills released safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde and defensive back Tre’Davius White. Those are three high-level starters Buffalo will have to replace.
Offensively, a lot of the focus has been on the team’s pass catchers. Buffalo could use another wide receiver and that was before Gabe Davis hit the open market. The team is confident Stefon Diggs is still a No. 1 receiver in this league and they like what Khalil Shakir brings to the table.
However, for Josh Allen to get the ball into his playmakers’ hands, he needs to have time to operate in the pocket. Looking to ensure that he has as much time as possible to do that, the Bills have locked their starting left tackle Dion Dawkins into a long-term extension.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bills and Dawkins agreed to a three-year, $60.5 million extension. That deal is expected to make him the fourth-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL.
A second-round pick out of Temple in the 2017 NFL Draft, Dawkins has been a mainstay at left tackle for the Bills since Day 1. He has been starting there for the past seven seasons and will remain there for at least the next few years.
Dawkins earned the extension with his impressive performance on the field, making the Pro Bowl team for three straight years. He has been extremely durable throughout his career as well, as he has missed only three games.
Last season, Dawkins graded out as the No. 22 tackle in the NFL out of 81 qualified players based on PFF’s grades. His 74.9 overall grade is the fourth-highest single-season grade, as Dawkins has been a consistent contributor throughout his career.
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