{"id":205761,"date":"2025-07-14T06:13:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T06:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/205761\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T06:13:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T06:13:12","slug":"bills-nasty-josh-allen-protector-makes-debut-in-espns-top-10-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/205761\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills\u2019 \u2018nasty\u2019 Josh Allen protector makes debut in ESPN\u2019s top-10 rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The post Bills\u2019 \u2018nasty\u2019 Josh Allen protector makes debut in ESPN\u2019s top-10 rankings<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With 2025 NFL training camps fast approaching, ESPN\u2019s annual positional rankings<\/a> have once again taken the pulse of the league by surveying more than 70 NFL insiders, including executives, coaches, and scouts, to determine the best players at each position heading into the upcoming season. And for the Buffalo Bills<\/a>, there\u2019s plenty to celebrate.<\/p>\n

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Buffalo veteran left tackle Dion Dawkins<\/a> has officially made his top-10 debut. He landed at No. 8 on ESPN\u2019s list of the league\u2019s best offensive tackles. It\u2019s a significant honor, not just for Dawkins individually. It\u2019s also for a Buffalo franchise that has consistently leaned on his grit, leadership, and durability in the trenches as he protects an MVP candidate in Josh Allen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After several years of being labeled an honorable mention, Dawkins finally broke through the ranks thanks to his rock-solid performance in 2024. He has long been respected by coaches and peers, but now he has the league-wide recognition to match.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust very steady, stayed healthy, great leader,\u201d one AFC executive told ESPN. \u201cI\u2019ve just always liked him \u2014 probably better football makeup than actual talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is Dion Dawkins so good for the Bills?\"Gregory<\/p>\n

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Dawkins\u2019 consistent performance in both pass protection and run blocking was a major reason why Buffalo remained competitive in the AFC. His pressure rate of just 7.4% since 2022 ranks third among all left tackles. Those analytics, combined with his visible leadership on and off the field, make him a cornerstone for the Bills\u2019 offensive line.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe just gets the job done consistently,\u201d an AFC scout added. \u201cHe\u2019s physical and nasty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now 31 years old, Dawkins has already earned two contract extensions from Buffalo since 2020. This latest recognition only reaffirms the organization\u2019s faith in him. With long-time elite tackles like Terron Armstead and Tyron Smith retiring, Dawkins seized the opportunity to rise. He proved that durability and dependability matter just as much as flash in today\u2019s NFL.<\/p>\n

For the Bills, who are aiming to stay atop the AFC hierarchy, having one of the league\u2019s best tackles solidifies the foundation of their offense. Dawkins\u2019 top-10 ranking isn\u2019t just a personal milestone. It\u2019s a testament to the steady strength that\u2019s helped power Buffalo. Hopefully, it\u2019s enough for the Bills to reach and win the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

Related: Bills hit for \u2018uninspiring\u2019 2025 offseason decision by ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: 10 greatest Buffalo Bills teams of all time<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The post Bills\u2019 \u2018nasty\u2019 Josh Allen protector makes debut in ESPN\u2019s top-10 rankings appeared first on ClutchPoints. With…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205762,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,13664,12,7,872,6,595,3025,7787],"class_list":{"0":"post-205761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-dion-dawkins","13":"tag-espn","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-josh-allen","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-terron-armstead","18":"tag-the-bills","19":"tag-tyron-smith"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114850116735097577","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}