Two under-appreciated Bills earn spots on ESPN's 'All-Film Team'

Two Buffalo Bills linemen -- one on either side of the ball -- were highlighted on ESPN’s All-Film team.

Anthony Miller | Oct 29, 2024

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It’s been a stellar start to the 2024 season for the Buffalo Bills, who are coming off a dominant 31-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. While guys like Josh Allen and, more recently, Keon Coleman get the bulk of the national attention, other contributors have played remarkably well this season without the same recognition.

On Tuesday, ESPN writer Ben Solak placed two Buffalo players on his All-Film Team at the mid-way point of the campaign. Players mentioned on the list are guys who might not get All-Pro or Pro Bowl nods but are impactful players on their teams nonetheless. Solak circled two Bills who are beloved in Buffalo but are perhaps underappreciated nationally, adding left tackle Dion Dawkins and defensive end Greg Rousseau to the 'All-Film' squad.

Starting with Dawkins, Solak credits him for being consistent and reliable year after year for Buffalo.

“I highlighted Spencer Brown, the Bills’ right tackle, after Week 4," Solak wrote. "He’s the indie pick on the line. But the mainstream artist still deserves his credit. Dawkins has steadily improved over the course of his career to the point that he’s now a set-it-and-forget-it left tackle. He doesn’t ever get help, even against top edge rushers, and rarely loses a rep cleanly. The Bills even mess with their splits between Dawkins and the left guard to put him on a bigger 'island.' That’s how confident they are in his dominance one-on-one.”

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Dawkins has started all eight games for the Bills at left tackle this season. He has played on 94% of the offensive snaps for Buffalo but has been called for seven penalties, which already is one more than last season. Even with penalty issues, Dawkins brings that veteran presence to the line and does an exceptional job of protecting Allen; per PFF, he's allowed 11 total pressures and two sacks this season.

His teammate, Rousseau, also received praise, as Solak has been happy to see him show his full potential.

“We love to see a player doing the thing in a contract year," Solak wrote. "Rousseau was drafted for his measurables and ceiling, as he never fully panned out in college. And after a few years in the pros, the full picture is starting to come into clarity. Rousseau’s best reps – which feature a nearly unbeatable combination of length and power – have come more frequently and against better competition so far this season. He’s still a more impactful run defender than a pass rusher, but that ability to collapse the pocket through the offensive lineman and force the quarterback into the waiting arms of a teammate will be valuable for someone (the Bills or otherwise) for all of Rousseau’s career.”

In Von Miller’s absence, Rousseau has stepped up to the plate and has become one of the NFL’s top pass rushers in 2024. Rousseau is fifth in the NFL in quarterback pressures with 38 and tied for fourth in quarterback hits with 14. He and A.J. Epenesa have been the Buffalo edge rushers that have carried the defensive line to making quarterbacks’ lives nightmarish.

Linemen sometimes get forgotten about with skill players getting all the attention. Guys like Dawkins and Rousseau make the stars’ jobs easier, which in turn helps the Bills win football games.

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