Bills’ Dion Dawkins Pushes for NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year Award
Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes of football, rarely getting the recognition they deserve despite their critical role in the success of a team. No offensive lineman has ever won the NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, or Offensive Rookie of the Year awards, and it’s exceedingly rare for any offensive lineman to even receive a single vote for these honors.
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins wants to change that. Dawkins, who has established himself as a leader on the Bills’ offensive line, is actively lobbying for the creation of an Offensive Lineman of the Year award to highlight the contributions of the game’s most overlooked position.
“Offensive linemen don’t have awards for being great,” Dawkins said. “There’s not a protector of the year award. I’m knocking at so many doors now to get this award going. I’m gonna spearhead it and make sure it gets done before I’m done playing. Because there’s so many greats, and we have great quarterbacks, we have great running backs, we have rushing titles, we have quarterback passing titles. All those titles are reflections on the o-linemen, which are the protectors.”
In college football, the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best lineman, and the Rimington Trophy for the top center, recognize linemen at the collegiate level. Some conferences also hand out their own awards to honor the best linemen in the league. However, the NFL, where linemen play a crucial role in the game’s outcome, has no such award.
Dawkins’ push for an Offensive Lineman of the Year award has gained traction, as he argues that the contributions of offensive linemen are integral to the success of quarterbacks and running backs, who often receive the lion’s share of recognition. “All those titles are reflections on the o-linemen, which are the protectors,” he emphasized.
While it remains to be seen if the NFL will adopt Dawkins’ proposal, it’s clear that his idea has merit. As the physical backbone of any offense, offensive linemen deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication, and an Offensive Lineman of the Year award would go a long way in giving them the acknowledgment they deserve. Dawkins is determined to make sure that happens before he calls it a career.
