Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins had a noteworthy and scary battle with COVID-19 earlier this summer. Because of that, Dawkins only recently got back on the field for the Bills at training camp.
With the regular season quickly approaching, Dawkins’ bout with the virus has caused him to take every opportunity to be ready for opening day. That included playing snaps during the Bills’ preseason win against the Chicago Bears.
In a game where many starters on offense including quarterback Josh Allen were sat, Dawkins played a few series. In total, Dawkins saw 21 snaps in the game.
Looking to get back in playing shape, Dawkins said following the game all 21 mattered to him.
“I feel good. Every bit that I touch that grass, I’m starting to feel more and more like myself,” Dawkins said.
“Absolutely. Shoot, I mean three, after three plays I was like [breathes heavy], but it’s a part of it. I’m actually extremely thankful that I got the amount of plays that I got. It helped me tremendously. At the facility when I’m running, I’m like ‘man, I feel great.’ But then when you’re actually out there against live competition, you really start to see like where you’re at. I’ve still got a long way to go.”
Thankfully for Dawkins and the Bills (and Allen, specifically), the franchise left tackle still has time to get himself in game day shape. Buffalo has one more preseason game left, plus their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers is slated for Sept. 12. Plenty of time.
Upon first glance, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott, who previously echoed Dawkins in saying the O-lineman has a long way to go… felt positive about Dawkins’ efforts vs. the Bears.
“He looked good,” McDermott said. “I thought he handled himself well. Typically with the line play you’ve got to watch it on film to evaluate…. I thought he had a good look in his eye on the sideline after his series there or two.”
Considering Dawkins’ admission on needing to get back to 100 percent… don’t be surprised if he plays against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday in the Bills’ preseason finale.
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