The Buffalo Bills head into the 2026 NFL regular season with very high expectations to finally win their first Super Bowl. One of the key factors that may finally help them get over their playoff hump is the new 3-4 aggressive scheme being installed by defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Under Sean McDermott's old 4-2-5 scheme, the Bills consistently struggled in the playoffs, where all they needed was one late-down stop by their defense, and they could have finally had a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
With a new scheme that is more focused on creating pressure on the quarterback and playing more man coverage rather than zone, hopefully this will help the defense, especially with one particular player finally breaking out into the player they thought they were getting under McDermott.
Let's take a look at defensive lineman Ed Oliver and his projected total stats for the 2026 NFL Season.
What Ed Oliver can do in the 2026 NFL season
When the Bills selected Ed Oliver with the 9th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Bills organization certainly wasn't disappointed in what they were getting out of him. He may have only been 6 foot 1, 287 pounds, a smaller defensive tackle in the 4-2-5 scheme, but very few defensive tackles his size can move like a linebacker.
Oliver was often compared to that of Aaron Donald of the LA Rams. While Oliver isn't Hall of Fame-bound like Donald, their play styles are similar: they have tremendous quick first steps and can use their speed to attack the gap and quickly stop the run in the backfield.
Despite a productive first seven years in the league, injuries in 2025 limited the former Houston Cougar to only three games and no starts last season.
Now entering his eighth year playing for a new head coach in Joe Brady and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, Oliver will be asked to be either a 1-tech or a 5-tech defensive end, which means he should be more of a defensive end in the 3-4 rather than a defensive tackle in a 4-2-5.
Leonhard actually believes his scheme fits Oliver better, as he played a 1-tech and a 5-tech defensive end with the Cougars in their 3-3-5 scheme. It also allows him to play freely and use his speed to attack the ball and get after the quarterback.
Plus, with his speed for his size, Oliver has shown he can be productive in whatever defensive scheme he's in, which makes Leonhard happy that Oliver is a coachable player.
Projected 2026 stats
If the talented defensive lineman stays healthy for the entire 17-game season and proves he was misused in McDermott's defensive scheme, his projected stats would be around 40-45 combined tackles, 5.0-6.5 sacks, 9-11 TFLs, and 1-2 forced fumbles.
These stats are relative to what they might have been in the old 4-2-5 system, and they prove that Jim Leonhard's defense is better suited for Oliver to be a 3-4 NFL defensive end than a 4-2-5 NFL defensive tackle.
Add us as a preferred source on Google