Every team is always looking to find their franchise quarterback, and have him around for a long time to help bring stability to the organization. Some teams have one, and a lot of teams don’t. The Buffalo Bills luckily have the best quarterback in the league in Josh Allen so they already have that accomplished.
However, protecting your franchise quarterback is another story. It wasn’t until the 2024 season where the Bills were able to keep some continuity for Allen and they also did the best job at protection that season, as Allen was only sacked 14 times. Last season on the other hand, it was a little bit of regression as far as protecting Allen because he was sacked 40 times.
Heading into this season, the Bills return four of their five starters from the past two seasons. With David Edwards joining the New Orleans Saints in free agency, the Bills will have a competition for their left guard position, likely between Alec Anderson, Austin Corbett, and Jude Bowry.
Two of the players that return to protect Allen who have been doing so for quite some time now are the tackle duo of Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. Dawkins has been protecting Allen’s blindside while Brown has brought stability to the right side protection. While this duo has been solid, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick from Pro Football Focus (PFF) just gave Bills fans a reality about each of them going into 2026.
PFF OL rankings prove Bills' tackle duo has doubters to prove wrong
Wasserman and Chadwick put together a recent offensive tackle rankings heading into this season, and for anyone that thought either Brown or Dawkins would be somewhere up high, the disappointment is here. Brown was ranked at No. 24 and Dawkins was ranked at No. 27.
Wasserman and Chadwick about Spencer Brown:
"Brown’s rugged play style is a perfect fit for Buffalo’s downhill run game. In 2025, he posted a career-high 85.7 PFF run-blocking grade that ranked as the seventh-best mark among qualified tackles. He did see a bit of a downturn in pass protection, as he allowed 41 pressures and earned a middling 61.7 PFF pass-blocking grade. Overall, though, Brown is a solid player on one of the NFL’s most productive offensive lines." said Wasserman and Chadwick.
Wasserman and Chadwick about Dion Dawkins:
"One of the most durable and consistent players in the NFL, Dawkins made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in 2025. It was also his eighth straight campaign playing at least 1,000 snaps, and his ninth straight season with at least a 76.0 PFF pass-blocking grade. Dawkins is the captain and enforcer of an excellent Buffalo offensive line, and the Bills know precisely what to expect from him on a weekly basis." said Wasserman and Chadwick.
Since coming into the league, Brown has always been a great run-blocker. There’s no doubt about that, but his pass protection took some time to develop. While he was great in 2023-2024, he did take a bit of a step back this past season. With a new offensive line coach in Pat Meyer, Brown will have the chance for a fresh start.
As for Dawkins, he has always been consistent. Bills fans know what they are getting out of him and he is very reliable. However, he was penalized a good amount of times last year. If he can clean up that aspect of his game, he will be back towards one of the elites in the game.
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