Bills star looking forward to Buffalo proving doubters wrong in 2024 season

There was a time when the franchise owned a forgettable playoff drought. The Buffalo Bills went 17 consecutive seasons (2000-16) without making a postseason appearance. The team hired Sean McDermott to be their new head coach in 2017, and he’s guided the Bills to six playoff appearances in seven campaigns. That includes a current streak of five straight years, the last four as AFC East champions.

This offseason offered many challenges for general manager Brandon Beane. Salary cap issues resulted in some tough decisions, with the big move being trading star wider receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. With that, the wide receiving corps has been under the spotlight, not beign as strong as it was on paper.

Dion Dawkins looks forwards to Bills proving doubters wrong in 2024

Like McDermott, tackle Dion Dawkins first year with the organization was in 2017. A second-round draft choice that year, he’s emerged as one of the premier players at his position, and has been named to the last three Pro Bowls. On a recent edition of NFL Network’s "The Insiders," he spoke about the many changes to the roster.

“There is a lot of guys that are not there," said Dawkins, h/t NFL.com. "But this is the NFL. Guys come, guys go, guys have to be ready. I think regardless of who is in those spots, we know that they’re gonna give it their all. You know like, 14 (Stefon Diggs), 21 (Jordan Poyer), 23 (Micah Hyde), all those numbers might not have those same faces, but we’re shooting for the stars."

Some of the other departures include veteran center Mitch Morse, 2023 sack leader Leonard Floyd, wideout Gabe Davis, and cornerback Tre’Davious White. With all of the players exiting, fans and media pundits aren't giving the Bills a chance to contend for the Super Bowl in 2024. However, Dawkins seems to be embracing an us against the world mentality.

“Everybody is counting us out, which I’m cool with. We can fly underneath that radar and hit everybody with uppercuts. I’m perfectly fine with it, but I’m gonna support those guys from a distance. It’s definitely different, and I’m still adjusting to it. I’m trying to answer it, but I’m just adjusting to it every day, because it is different, man. It really is.”

“Everybody” may be a little strong. The Miami Dolphins have been the Bills’ biggest challengers the past two seasons. However, Mike McDaniel’s club owns just a 1-4 record the past two seasons vs. Buffalo, including a playoff loss in 2022. Yes, there are plenty of new faces, but McDermott’s team has held off their AFC East rivals this decade to date.

Dawkins is looking forward to the Bills proving all of their critics wrong.