B/R names Bills' 'Mount Rushmore' since 2000 NFL season
Names like Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Cookie Gilchrist, Joe Ferguson... and even OJ Simpson... are excellent candidates.
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But Bleacher Report narrowed the playing field.
How about the Mount Rushmore of the Bills... since the 2000 NFL season?
That timeline of Buffalo's football team has both ends of the spectrum. Five-straight AFC East titles and a massive playoff drought.
Considering that, three players currently on the team's roster crack the list.
The one from the not-so-long past? No surprise.
Here's B/R's picks:
QB Josh Allen
OT Dion Dawkins
LB Matt Milano
DT Kyle Williams
Like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen is a relatively fresh face for a Mt. Rushmore of the last 25 years. However, his selection is warranted because of his accomplishments and what he has meant to the Buffalo Bills franchise.
Before the Bills drafted Allen in 2018, they had made only one playoff appearance this century. They haven't missed the postseason since his sophomore campaign, and they've won five straight AFC East titles.
With 26,434 passing yards 4,142 rushing yards, 260 combined rushing and passing touchdowns, three Pro Bowl nods and one league MVP already on his resume, Allen is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
While success was fleeting for the Bills before Allen's arrival, he isn't the only legend from the last quarter-century who is still playing. Left tackle Dion Dawkins has made 122 career starts and earned four straight Pro Bowl nods. Linebacker Matt Milano has made only one Pro Bowl—he was also a first-team All-Pro in 2022—but he remains one of the NFL's best all-around defenders when healthy.
Milano has tallied 504 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 59 tackles for loss and 39 pass breakups in 94 career games. His versatility and role in Buffalo's recent success earn him the nod over notable names like Aaron Schobel, Jerry Hughes and Stefon Diggs.
Defensive tackle Kyle Williams represents the "old guard," as his last season coincided with Allen's rookie campaign. In his 13 seasons in Buffalo, Williams started 178 games, recorded 609 tackles and 48.5 sacks and made six Pro Bowls.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' 'Mount Rushmore' list since the 2020 NFL season
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