Buffalo Rumblings
During practice on Tuesday, August 12, Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins was seen leaving the field early with athletic trainers alongside him. Though no update was given, ESPN Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg reported that Dawkins “smirked and then danced away” when asked if he was “doing OK.”
That was good news for all of Bills Mafia and the team, since the big man’s the blindside protector for current NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen. Of course, with Dawkins, you never know what to expect, and a lot can change in 24 hours.
Indeed, and change things did. Late on Wednesday afternoon, August 13, Bills reporter Sal Capaccio tweeted an update about Dawkins that triggered some in Bills Mafia. Per Capaccio, head coach Sean McDermott reported to WGR 550 afternoon hosts “Schopp & The Bulldog” that Dawkins had “aggravated” his back and was held out of practice Wednesday.
You can hear it from McDermott himself in the clip from WGR 550 below, but here’s what McDermott had to say when asked to give an update on Dawkins’ status:
“He’s got a back he’s dealing with, an aggravated back, so it kinda flared up yesterday. We backed him off from practice and today it was still kinda angry so we’re hoping that gets calmed down in the next 24-48 hours and that he can, you know, go to Chicago with us and practice against them and we’ll take it one day at a time from there.”
It’s important to remember that the regular season is a few weeks away, so Dawkins may have the necessary time to get things right with his back. Many will also recall the time that right tackle Spencer Brown missed earlier this offseason and into training camp with a back issue.
Always the optimist, McDermott did point out that with Dawkins out, it gives the team “a chance to look at somebody else,” backup left tackle Ryan Van Demark.
