Buffalo Bills stalwart left tackle Dion Dawkins returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session with a hamstring injury. The 30-year-old initially picked up his lower-body ailment during Buffalo’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens; he was a limited participant on Thursday, per the team’s injury report.
Dawkins told reporters on Thursday that he picked up his injury early in last week’s contest but remained in the game until starters were taken out during the fourth quarter; he ultimately played on 86% of the team’s offensive snaps. Though he played through the injury, Dawkins thought about exiting the game.
“I’m going to tell you the truth, I thought about turning it off,” Dawkins said. “It was that painful. I just pushed through it, finished the game.”
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The three-time Pro Bowler went on to tell reporters that he felt an obligation to return to the game and manage the pain given his importance to not only the offensive line, but general team.
“I think that, in this league, what comes with being one of the guys, and how they pay you, it sucks but you’ve got to be able to push through certain things,” the long-time starter said.
Dawkins has not missed a start since Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season. He’s coming off a 2023 season in which he played on 96% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps.
Dawkins has been a standout on a Bills offensive line that has been generally stellar to kick off the 2024 campaign; he’s allowed just one sack and five total pressures through four contests, three of which came in the Week 4 clash in which he was injured. If he continues to improve throughout the week, he should be on track to play in Buffalo’s Week 5 showdown with the Houston Texans