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As his close friend and teammate Josh Allen prepares to welcome his first child with Hailee Steinfeld, Dion Dawkins opens up to PEOPLE about becoming Uncle Schnow to the little oneHe explains the sweet and simple reason that he knows his quarterback will be a great day, adding that the team is thrilled to watch Allen enter a new phase in his lifeAllen and Steinfeld tied the knot in May 2025 and announced their pregnancy that December
Dion Dawkins is looking forward to seeing his close friend and teammate Josh Allen become a dad, and he knows that he’ll be great at it.
The 29-year-old quarterback for the Buffalo Bills announced that he and wife Hailee Steinfeld, 29, are expecting their first child together in December 2025. The news came just a few months after they tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in May 2025.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the 31-year-old offensive tackle caught up with PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein in San Francisco at the SiriusXM set at Media Row and reflected on watching the couple get ready to welcome their little one.
Josh Allen with Dion Dawkins, from left.
Cooper Neill/Getty
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Asked about Allen’s new era, he gushes that his friend “is in a different realm of life now,” saying that the rest of the team is “thankful” and “blessed” to witness he and his “beautiful wife” prepare for their “beautiful soon-to-be family.”
Dawkins adds that he’ll be there as the baby’s Uncle Schnow, saying that he’ll be “the first uncle outside of his immediate family,” a role that he takes very seriously.
He’s looking forward to seeing Allen as a dad, and he already knows that he’ll “be the best dad ever.”
Why is he so confident? “Because you see how he is with his dog,” the NFL star explains, saying that he’ll be “just as good” with a baby. Continuing, Dawkins jokingly draws comparisons between dogs and babies, saying they’re “both vicious creatures.”
“He’ll be perfect, and I’m happy to see it ’cause it’ll unleash a new world of Josh, right?” he says.
Dawkins knows from firsthand experience, as he shares three children with his fiancée, Daiyaana Muhammad.
Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld announce their pregnancy.
Hailee Steinfeld/Beau Society
“I have children, and it unleashed a new world to me,” he says. “So I can’t wait to see what type of person it morphs him into being such a better person. But Josh and Hailee, we love you.”
Dawkins describes himself to PEOPLE as being “like a kid in a grown man’s body,” but he also takes parenting seriously.
The athlete — who is working with Chunky, the official soup of the NFL — says that that’s an easy meal to make for his little ones. Beyond that, he has some other staples that he’ll fall back on, including “a good grilled cheese” or pancakes.