The Buffalo Bills underwent as much change this offseason as almost any team in the NFL. Ahead of free agency, they parted ways with numerous long-time defensive stalwarts. Soon after, they traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
They obviously made several additions to replace the departed players -- including Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel at receiver, Cole Bishop at safety and DeWayne Carter at defensive tackle -- but it is nevertheless generally considered a transition year for the team as it looks to clear its books and prepare for the next phase of the Josh Allen era.
As a result, the Bills aren't quite thought of as the 1B to the Chiefs' 1A in the AFC as they have been over the last few years. Buffalo's over-under of 10.5 wins is third highest in the NFL, but the Bills only have the league's seventh-best Super Bowl odds, and the fourth best among AFC teams. (Behind Kansas City, as well as the Ravens and Bengals.)
But all of that is just fine with the man tasked with protecting Allen's blind side, left tackle Dion Dawkins.
"There is a lot of guys that are not there. But this is the NFL," Dawkins said during an appearance on NFL Network. "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 [Diggs], 21 [Jordan Poyer], 23 [Micah Hyde] ... all those numbers might not have those same faces, but we're shooting for the stars.
"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."
It's hard to say that you're truly flying under the radar when the expectation is 10 or 11 wins and your Super Bowl odds remain in the top 25 percent of the league, but in comparison to recent seasons, the phrase probably does apply to the Bills. Whether they can exceed expectations will be up mostly to Allen, but also to the new additions, as well as holdovers like Dawkins.