Buffalo Bills make right call extending Dion Dawkins before season

The Buffalo Bills made the right call working out a contract extension with Dion Dawkins prior to the season.

There was no question that entering the 2020 season, one of the biggest questions for the Buffalo Bills was whether or not this would be the last season for Dion Dawkins with the franchise. That question is now answered with a four-year contract extension worth $60 million, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This is a huge pay increase from the expected cap hit of $1.33 million he will have this coming season. While it is a significant contract, and Dawkins is now paid like a Top 5 left tackle according to Spotrac, it was the right move to make for the Buffalo Bills and the timing is perfect.

The left tackle position is a premium position as it is a critical part of the offensive line and is the player who is responsible for blocking the quarterback’s blind side. When the Buffalo Bills went through their offensive line overhaul last offseason the only player that remained from 2018 was Dion Dawkins.

He has slowly developed over the past three years since the team selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The move was a bit surprising at the time since the Bills had Cordy Glenn, who was considered a young talent at the position.

However, Glenn suffered an injury during Dawkins rookie season and he stepped in as the starter. He never relinquished that role and the Bills committed to him when they traded Glenn away during the 2018 offseason.

There was certainly some concern about whether or not the Buffalo Bills would be able to extend Dion Dawkins due to a significant decrease in the salary cap next year, possibly as low as $175 million. It is going to be interesting to see how the contract is broken out but it will likely be backloaded to create some space next year for the team to sign their only other key player who is a potential free agent, Matt Milano.

In the end, this was a great move by the Buffalo Bills and to get something done before the start of the year helps the team tremendously. There is no worry now about who will be protecting Josh Allen‘s blindside for the foreseeable future.