The turnaround for the Buffalo Bills to get to where they are now began in 2017 when they broke their 17-season playoff drought with Sean McDermott as a rookie head coach. However, despite them getting into the playoffs as a 6-seed, their playoff journey lasted just one game as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 10-3.
From 2018 and on, they have since built up the team and helped turn around the organization for the better on a consistent basis. However, they still needed to add to their roster to bring stability on both sides of the ball. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills used two first round picks to select Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds.
Then in the following draft, the Bills used the 9th overall pick to acquire University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who was one of the top prospects coming out of college.
Ed Oliver has shown flashes of greatness (but not consistently)
The Bills needed to rebuild their defensive line and Oliver was the start of it all in the late 2010s. He has been lined up over the center at times, but he’s known more for lining up in the gaps either inside or outside the guard. In 7 seasons with the Bills, Oliver has recorded 243 total tackles and 30 sacks, but he also has 8 forced fumbles which includes 3 in 2024.
In recent memory, Oliver has dealt with injuries that included him playing in just four total games last season due to a torn bicep and knee injury. When he was on the field, he was solid. However, there has been too many inconsistencies with him. There was even a time this offseason where people thought that the Bills would move on from Oliver due to the new defensive scheme under Jim Leonhard.
However, Leonhard has high hopes for Oliver this year and he might be playing in a different style than what he's used to...but it could be what he needs. Not only does Oliver have a great chance at becoming a standout player in the new scheme, but Kevin Patra from NFL.com listed Oliver as a player who could earn his first-time Pro Bowl honors this season.
"Ed Oliver looked like a Pro Bowler in the short time he was on the field last year. Unfortunately, injuries relegated the knifing big-man to just three tilts. The upside in new DC Jim Leonhard’s scheme is there for Oliver to make his Pro Bowl debut in Year 8. With Deone Walker’s ascension giving Oliver a running mate, the veteran should pile up stats if he can stay on the field." said Patra.
New defensive scheme could lead to major breakout year from Ed Oliver
Oliver’s best season he had in Buffalo was in 2023, in which he recorded career-highs in total tackles (51), sacks (9.5), and stuffed tackles (13). He was a true disruptor for the defense, but he hasn’t been the same since then.
Now with a new defensive playcaller on the sideline, change could be what Oliver needs to be the disruptor that the Bills drafted him to be. As long as he can stay healthy, Oliver’s potential to breakout in 2026 is extremely possible.
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