In the case of Buffalo Bills offensive tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, when it comes to being penalized for protecting NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen, you’ll find few Bills fans complaining about those yellow flags.
It’s just that, with Dawkins and Brown, it ends up being a lot of yellow flags — enough that both players landed on PFF’s list of the NFL’s 10 most penalized players since 2021.
“The Bills have been one of the most-penalized teams altogether since 2021, and seeing both Dawkins and Brown on this list helps explain that,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “Brown has been called for an infraction 44 total times, placing in the top 16 in both holds and false starts … Dawkins has posted 56 penalties in the past half-decade while blocking Josh Allen’s blindside … the last two campaigns have been particularly rough in this department, with Dawkins collecting 25 penalties. If it’s any consolation, Dawkins’ 5,824 snaps are the most among all tackles over the past five years, making his penalty rate more palatable.”
The Bills are paying a lot of money for all of those penalties. Dawkins and Brown will have banked approximately $203 million in career earnings when their current contracts run out.
Dawkins, Brown Land on List of NFL’s Elite OTs
The Bills are once again Super Bowl contenders thanks to an elite offensive unit built around Allen and NFL All-Pro running back James Cook, with Dawkins and Brown leading the way up front.
Dawkins and Brown both earned spots on ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings. Dawkins was named an honorable mention pick, and Brown was among those receiving votes.
“Dawkins is a solid starter, plays with an edge, can be good in both phases but shows inconsistent effort,” 1 anonymous NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Dawkins and Brown are both homegrown products for the Bills.
Dawkins, 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, was a 2nd-round pick (No. 63 overall) out of Temple in the 2017 NFL Draft. Brown, 6-foot-8 and 311 pounds, was a 3rd-round pick (No. 93 overall) out of Northern Iowa in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“Towering tackle prospect with the hands, feet and length in place to become a quality pass protector on the next level,” NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2021. “Despite playing right tackle his entire career at Northern Iowa, Brown has the athleticism to give it a go on the left side if a team desires. He’s packed on weight and muscle over the years but his performance at the Senior Bowl practices showed that there is still work to do in terms of improving his core strength to offset his high center of gravity. He can play in a variety of run schemes but he will be at his best on the move, where his foot quickness will give him an advantage in finding the angles. Slippery athletes with good length will be trouble for him early and maybe beyond, but he’s an above-average hand-fighter with a variety of pass sets he can utilize, which should help him as an eventual starter with early swing tackle value.”
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