Buffalo Bills
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Bills connected to star LT amid Dion Dawkins rumors.
The Buffalo Bills could be looking to move on from fan-favorite left tackle Dion Dawkins.
Dawkins is in the second year of his three-year, $60 million deal and has a cap hit of nearly $25 million this season. It’s a hefty price tag for Dawkins, whose play took a step back last season, and his name came up in trade rumors or being a cut candidate.
With that, ahead of the NFL Draft, star left tackle Austin Barber from the Florida Gators revealed he’s met with the Bills.
“I’ve had a ton of Zoom meetings,” Barber said to Justin Melo of SI. “Some of the recent ones include the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, to name a few.
“I had formal and informal interviews at the NFL Combine. I met with a bunch of teams at the Senior Bowl. I’ve pretty much met with every team in the NFL. I’m about to take some pre-draft “30” visits with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, and the Arizona Cardinals.”
Barber was a star left tackle at college and could also play right tackle, but if Buffalo does draft him, it likely would signal the end of Dion Dawkins.
Barber started 38 games at Florida and showed he has the talent to be a left tackle in the NFL. He’s expected to be a Day 2 pick, but the Bills only have a third-round pick, so they could have to trade up to take Barber.
Barber Believes He’s Ready for NFL Competition
Given that Barber was a starter at Florida for three years and played impactful snaps for four years, he has plenty of experience.
Barber believes his reps of going up against some of the pass rushers in the SEC will help him be a Day 1 starter in the NFL.
“I have tons of experience with playing in big-time games,” Barber said. “That’s priceless. Like you said, I’ve played a lot of football in the SEC. I’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see. That experience is going to help me a ton.
“There are probably some prospects in this class who aren’t as prepared as I am. I went up against elite level competition every single week. I think that’s important, because obviously you’re going to see the best of the best in the NFL. I’ve played against some really good pass rushers on an island. I’m prepared for the challenges of the NFL.”
Although Barber was a solid starting left tackle in college, he said he is open to going to right tackle in the NFL if needed.
Dawkins Could be Trade Candidate for Bills
If Buffalo does select Barber, it could mean the Bills traded away Dawkins before or during the NFL Draft.
Dawkins led the Bills in penalties last season, and his play took a step back last season. With that, NFL analyst Alex Ballentine from Bleacher Report named Dawkins a trade candidate this offseason for Buffalo.
“The Bills came up short in the playoffs yet again and there have already been major changes as a result,” Ballentine wrote. “Firing Sean McDermott was a major shakeup that signals a shift in the Josh Allen era. We’ll see just how extreme that shift will be. Dion Dawkins and Dawson Knox have been mainstays in the offense, but they are both expensive players to keep around.
“Dawkins would be incredibly difficult to replace. He’s still one of the top pass-blocking tackles in the league. But they would likely get multiple valuable picks in return and they need inexpensive pieces to re-tool the roster.”
Dawkins has spent his entire career with the Bills after being selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.