Dion Dawkins on Bills OTAs: 'The energy is definitely different'
“First day was definitely a good head start,” Dawkins said. “It's optional, and for it to be optional, and guys to still be here and be present, it's pretty cool.”
Even 10 years into the league, Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins still gets a certain tingle when it’s time to go back to work.
As the Bills kicked off voluntary OTAs on Tuesday, Dawkins was back at One Bills Drive.
Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, left, is excited that everybody showed up for the first day of OTAs.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
But as usual for Dawkins, he had a packed day. Just hours after OTAs ended, he was out in the community, checking out a charity basketball tournament he funded. Reflecting on the morning, his day job, Dawkins had rave reviews.
“It was cool,” Dawkins said Tuesday. “First day back, first-day jitters, you know. Got to see some new teammates, got to see a new head coach, got to see a new vibe, like, the energy is definitely different.
“And we're all excited. We are all very, very excited, and we'll see how it goes.”
While the early OTAs are not open to the media, per Dawkins, “everybody” was there for the voluntary workouts under new head coach Joe Brady. That included Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who, with his wife, singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld, announced the birth of a baby girl on April 2. The Bills posted a picture of Allen arriving at the facility with his signature thumbs-up gesture.
“I've only seen Josh for a couple of hours, but the energy is there,” Dawkins said. “But I'll get to see more of it as the days go by. But I'm pretty sure he got his dad strength, and he got his muscle from the baby, from lifting and putting the baby down, so it will show.”
Dawkins found one-day returns on the OTA to be positive. Newly acquired safety CJ Gardner-Johnson posted on X Tuesday that the “Bills got better today.”
“I think that it's going well already,” Dawkins said. “First day was definitely a good head start. Everybody was present, and that's where, if you like, you can ask for a guy like Josh. He just had a kid, and he's here. You have veteran guys that are 10 years in, like myself, and I'm here. … It's optional, and for it to be optional, and guys to still be here and be present, it's pretty cool.”
While Dawkins clearly understands that players have vibrant lives outside of work, he sees the value in showing up even on days that are not mandatory. Part of it reflects the culture the Bills have built in Orchard Park.
“I feel like there's a huge part in being present to building a football team,” Dawkins said. “Like, not that they have to be there every single day, but just to get around the guys, and for the guys to see you, and for the guys to say, ‘Oh, this is Dion. He's been there for 10 years. Oh, that's Josh Allen, MVP. Oh, that's James Cook. Oh, OK. This is the rookie. OK. This is this kid. Oh, he got drafted last year.’
“For everybody to kind of see why the Buffalo Bills are, what the Buffalo Bills are, and why everybody says our locker room is drastically different from the rest. Guys are present.”
While Dawkins likened OTAs under Brady to driving a new car, he still had plenty of respect for former Bills head coach Sean McDermott.
“It's already moved forward,” Dawkins said. “I still talk to (McDermott), as well as he talks to every player that they had a connection with, like, guys just don't disappear. And I'm a player, I'm not a (general manager), I'm not an owner, right? So, the GM is going to do what he does, and the left tackle is supposed to do what he does.
“I'm there to protect. I don't have any comment, no thought about it; it's just Joe Brady is my coach, and that's just how it is. I love him ... like he's our guy, and I'm rocking with him.”
And when the workouts ended, it was back to engaging with Western New York for Dawkins, the Bills’ four-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.
With nonprofit Peaceprints of WNY recognizing April as Second Chance Month in Erie County, Dawkins was at Villa Maria College for the 2nd Second Shot Basketball Tournament on Tuesday. The tournament was made possible by a $10,000 donation from Dawkins and his foundation, Dion’s Dreamers.
“I have learned that a lot of people need a second chance,” Dawkins said. “A lot of people just need help. A lot of people just need that lending arm, right?”
Dawkins looked at the people in his circle who needed a second chance, and even reflected on his own experiences when he was suspended in college.
“I feel like it's a connecting circle in my life, and I'm just like, but, but you know what? I'm gonna put some more effort there and see what it does,” Dawkins said. “You know, it might help one life. It might help none. It might help some, but I'm gonna be there to help in whatever way that I possibly can.”