Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins can always be seen smiling.
Whether it be on the field or off it, Buffalo’s former second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft seemingly never takes life too seriously — he’s simply enjoying the life of a soon-to-be 32-year-old professional football player who possesses plenty of outside interests.
From bashing heads between the lines on Sundays during the season to drifting dazzling rides on the track in his free time, it’s hard not to be consistently sporting a grin.
So, when the Bills’ five-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman recently sat down with Yahoo! Sports NFL contributor Andrew Siciliano on his Inside Coverage podcast last Thursday — which can be seen here — the larger-than-life former Temple University standout could frequently be seen showing off his pearly whites.
In part, because Dawkins is enjoying his offseason quite a bit so far this spring as the calendar turns toward April, all while brimming with excitement and anticipation in regard to the start of offseason workouts in just under two weeks at One Bills Drive.
But, there were other reasons for his beaming smile, as well. More on that in a minute.
First, entering his 10th season, Dawkins discussed liking the new direction of the organization and vibes the team should have under first-time head coach Joe Brady, and he’s hopeful that the simple change from former head coach Sean McDermott’s more buttoned-up, “military” like style to Brady’s “swagged up” attitude can elevate Buffalo to greater heights moving forward.
However, he was adamant that his former boss knows what it takes to win in this league. Sometimes, despite how it may be perceived by outsiders, a change just for the sake of making a change is needed — a new voice, a breath of fresh air.
“I would say (it was) needed because sometimes, man, like being on a mission for so long and not getting over that hump — it could weigh on you — and, you know, like for all the new guys coming in, you know, it’s a different ‘spaz, right? Like, or pizzazz,” Dawkins said during his interview with Siciliano.
“Joe Brady is the guy the (Bills’) culture needs to shock the world. Like, ‘Oh my God.’ They just have a different, you know, swagger bucket about them, right? Like, their swag is just different.”
That “swag” has always been readily apparent from the 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman, who’s not bashful in the slightest, but now it will be trickling from the top down in spades from the team’s new “CEO” head man.
It’s certainly a new era in Western New York, and that isn’t in reference to the Buffalo Sabres’ newfound glory.
No, the boys in blue and red will be different in 2026.
Instead of being meek and looking to simply not make a mistake in the most critical of moments next season, Dawkins and his teammates will likely be radiating with shit-eating grins from ear to ear in the fourth quarter of a close game as if to say, “Come get some.”
A much-needed diversion from the previous path that had been constructed during countless years of heartbreaking losses under McDermott.
Will it result in better outcomes? Who knows. But, Dawkins is eager to find out.
“I would say that I don’t think that if we had Joe as the leader (against Denver) that we would have won (the) game or we would have won more games. Like, McDermott knows how to win games, you know? It’s just something that nobody knows, (or) will ever know (why),” Dawkins added.
“Who knows? Man, like I don’t know. But, I think that Joe Brady is a good guy, and I think whatever the upstairs management is doing — I support (them).”
At that point of the interview, Dawkins demeanor changed slightly — as the question likely sparked memories of him shedding tears in the locker room following Buffalo’s brutal loss to Denver in the AFC divisional round last season — but, by the end of the nearly 16-minute segment, the vibrant player who protects former MVP quarterback Josh Allen’s blindside was right back to showing off those shiny teeth.
The real reason why?
The reigning Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award nominee for the Bills is once again back to his charitable ways.
This time by partnering with Wegmans and Crest, which offers toothpaste, mouthwash, and oral hygiene products worldwide, to promote and provide those in need with essential dental and oral care as part of the company’s “Closing America’s Smile Gap” initiative.
In conjunction with the two brands, Dawkins is looking to help spread the word about the program, which aims to provide free dental cleaning to families that may not have the opportunity to otherwise do so on their own through what Crest is calling “America’s Tooth Fairy” program.
When fans buy Crest 3D White Deep Stain Remover at their local Wegmans retailer, one free dental cleaning will be donated to a person in need.
Something as simple as a dental visit can be a life-changing moment according to the forward-thinking mind of Dawkins.
“We’re just trying to create more and more smiles. And, for people that don’t know, like there’s a lot that goes (into it) mentally (and) physically with hygiene, right?” Dawkins said.
“With being able to go the dentist and with being able to adapt to going to the dentist as your yearly routine, you know — go four times a year (or) if you go six times a year — going through that and (that) routine, in the eyes of what we’re doing, you never know what that might do, right?
“Somebody might get the opportunity to go to the dentist for their first time — a child, an adult — somebody might be able to go to the dentist for their first time in an underserved community. And, that might change the trajectory of an entire generation of a household. Somebody might go, (and) somebody might be scared. (But) somebody might go and might love it, right? And, then they love it and then they might say, ‘You know, that doctor (or) that dentist was so nice. I want to go to college, and I would love to be a dentist.’ Right? So, with that being a part of what this could be, it’s just a beautiful thing.”
It’s just another reminder of how big of an impact that players like Dawkins have off the field as they do on it.
So, while the behemoth lineman and his new head coach will surely be grinning again once the gang is all back together in the building in Orchard Park, New York, in just under two weeks for the start of offseason workouts on April 6, Dawkins is hoping he can spread as many smiles as possible this season with more than just his play on the gridiron.
Keep doing your thing, Dion. Bills Mafia is proud of you.
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