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Buffalo Bills' Dion Dawkins finally gets what he's been advocating for with latest NFL decision

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Sophie Weller | Last updated May 21, 2025 3:59 PM ET

Dion Dawkins has been advocating for the NFL to add one specific award, and the NFL is finally granting his wish.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the league will be introducing the o, which will be an honor for the best offensive lineman. The winner will be decided by former offensive linemen.

And with that, Dawkins and Andrew Whitworth were given credit because they have been very outspoken about this.

The NFL is introducing the Protector of the Year Award given to the league's best offensive lineman, as decided by a panel that includes a number of former OL greats.

Troy Vincent gives credit to Bills OL Dion Dawkins and Andrew Whitworth for pushing this idea.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 21, 2025

He opened up about this in January after the NFL Honor finalists for 2024 were announced.

"Offensive linemen don't have awards for being great," Dawkins said. "There's not a Protector of the Year award. I'm knocking at so many doors now to get this award going. I'm gonna spearhead it and make sure it gets done before I'm done playing. Because there's so many greats. There's so many greats. We have great quarterbacks, we have great running backs, we have rushing titles, we have quarterback passing titles. All those titles are reflections on the O-linemen, which are the protectors."

His efforts clearly worked.

Offensive lineman are often overlooked for their contributions on the field despite all they do. Especially for Josh Allen because of his ability with his legs along with the time he has to make a play. Would he be able to do all that at the same level he has been without Dawkins and the rest of the line?

But as the one who spearheaded the campaign to add this award, it seems like it's Dawkins' right to win the first one. MVP season from Dawkins loading....

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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