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 majority 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 in the middle of the campaign. The players mentioned on the list are guys who may not get All-Pro or Pro Bowl nods, but are still impactful players on their teams. Solak rounded out two Bills who are beloved in Buffalo but perhaps underrated nationally, adding left tackle Dion Dawkins and defensive end Greg Rousseau to the ‘All-Film’ team.

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

“I highlighted Bills right tackle Spencer Brown after Week 4,” Solak wrote. “He’s the independent pick on the line. But the mainstream performer still deserves his credit. Dawkins has steadily improved throughout his career to the point where he’s now a set-it-and-forget-it left tackle. He never gets any help. , not even against top-line attackers, and he rarely loses a rep cleanly. The Bills even modify their splits between Dawkins and the left guard to put him on a bigger ‘island’. That’s how confident they are in their one-on-one dominance. one”.

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 assessed seven penalties, one more than last season. Even with sanctions problems, Dawkins brings that veteran presence to the line and does an exceptional job protecting Allen; According to PFF, he has 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.

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“We love to see a player doing that in a contract year,” Solak wrote. “Rousseau was selected for his measurable parameters and his ceiling, as he never reached his peak performance in college. And after a few years in the pros, the full picture is starting to become clear. Rousseau’s best reps, which feature a almost unbeatable combination of length and power, have occurred more frequently and against better competition so far this season. He is still a more impactful run defender than a pass rusher, but that ability to collapse the pocket through offensive lineman and. Forcing the quarterback into the waiting arms of a teammate will be valuable to someone (Bills or not) throughout Rousseau’s career.”

In von Miller’s absence, Rousseau has taken a step forward and has become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in 2024. Rousseau is fifth in the NFL in quarterback pressures with 38 and tied for fourth in quarterback hits with 14. He and AJ Epenesa have been Buffalo’s edge rushers who have led the defensive line to make the quarterback’s life a nightmare.

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

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