2. Ed Oliver
The defensive tackle is not often thought of as a position that generates high sack totals but over the years there have been a few in Sean McDermott’s defense that has been able to do this. In 2019, the Bills had Jordan Phillips who would go on to lead the team with 9.5 sacks.
Then going back even further to McDermott’s days with the Carolina Panthers, defensive tackle Kawann Short had 11 sacks in 2015.
Ed Oliver has the skillset and potential to join these defensive tackles and potentially lead the team in sacks in 2021. This season, with the return of Star Lotulelei, it allows Oliver to move back to being a three-tech defensive tackle. These defensive tackles are expected to get penetration and disrupt the pocket which Oliver certainly has enough explosiveness and quickness to do.
This past season Ed Oliver finished with three sacks, which was down from five in his rookie season, but pressures were up to 16, which was an improvement of four from his rookie season. When considering the players around him, especially Lotulelei, Oliver is set up for a career season in 2021 and that he could include leading the team in sacks.