The Buffalo Bills are heading into the 2026 season with a new voice in charge. Joe Brady takes over as head coach after the team moved on from Sean McDermott, and Buffalo’s roster is adjusting to life under a first-time play-caller running the whole operation. But one part of the team isn’t changing: the wall protecting Josh Allen.
Sports Illustrated NFL analyst Gilberto Manzano ranked Buffalo’s tackle duo of Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown as the fifth-best tackle duo in the NFL in a new SI ranking of the league’s top offensive tackle pairings for 2026. It’s the latest sign that the Bills’ offensive line, often overshadowed by Allen’s highlight-reel plays, is getting its due around the league.
Why Dawkins and Brown Made the Bills’ Tackle Duo Ranking
Allen doesn’t need a perfect pocket to make plays. He’s built a career on escaping trouble and improvising when a play breaks down. But Manzano’s ranking points to something Bills fans have watched for years: Allen gets that freedom partly because his tackles buy him the time to use it.
“Yes, Josh Allen can create for himself away from the pocket, but he also has the benefit of knowing he has extra time to extend plays because Dawkins and Brown are consistently winning their matchups,” Manzano wrote. “The Bills are also one of the better rushing teams in the league because of the lanes these tackles provide for James Cook, last year’s rushing champion.”
That rushing point matters. Cook has turned into one of the league’s premier backs running behind Dawkins and Brown, and the gaps they create up front are a big reason why. Manzano’s SI piece also notes that Dawkins, despite five straight Pro Bowl selections, has never made an All-Pro team, and that he’s been remarkably durable, never missing more than two games in any of his nine NFL seasons. Brown, a 2021 third-round pick, developed into a steady presence at right tackle after establishing himself early in his career.
Buffalo’s pairing landed just outside the top four, finishing behind duos from the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. That’s respectable company. Three of those four teams made deep playoff runs recently, and the ranking suggests Buffalo’s front line belongs in that tier of conversation even without a Super Bowl trip to show for it yet.
What It Means for Buffalo’s Offense Under Joe Brady
Brady inherits an offense that already has its foundational pieces in place. Allen is coming off another MVP-caliber year in terms of expectations, and Cook remains one of the most explosive backs in football. A steady offensive line gives Brady room to build his system without having to fix a glaring weakness up front first.
That’s not a small thing for a first-time head coach. Plenty of new coaches walk into situations where they have to patch holes on the line before they can even install their preferred scheme. Brady doesn’t have that problem. Dawkins and Brown give him a proven left side and right side to plan around, freeing him up to focus on how he wants to use Allen’s arm and Cook’s legs within his own version of the offense.
The Bigger Question: Buffalo’s Defense
The offensive line ranking is good news, but it doesn’t solve Buffalo’s real problem. The Bills have questions to answer on defense if they want to finally break through and reach a Super Bowl. McDermott’s exit means a new scheme is coming, and general manager Brandon Beane still has personnel gaps to address, particularly in the secondary and at linebacker.
Those weaknesses showed up throughout the 2025 season and resurfaced in Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. According to reporting from NFL.com and ESPN on Buffalo’s coaching search, the Bills hired former Broncos defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard to lead the defense moving forward, a hire aimed directly at shoring up those trouble spots.
Whether that fixes things in year one remains to be seen. For now, the offensive line is one part of the roster Buffalo doesn’t have to worry about. Dawkins and Brown have played together for four straight seasons, and both are signed long-term — Brown through 2029, Dawkins through 2028 — giving the Bills stability up front regardless of what changes around them.
Bills Tackle Duo Ranking: Top 5 Comparison
| Rank | Team | Tackle Duo |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Eagles, Buccaneers, Broncos, 49ers | Not detailed in available source material |
| 5 | Buffalo Bills | Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown |
The Bills open training camp this summer with plenty still to sort out on defense, but Allen’s blindside and backside protection remain in good hands. That much, at least, Buffalo already knows.
