Most Valuable Bills: Ed Oliver Projects as No. 17
One of the Buffalo Bills facing a make-or-break season is defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who flashed consistently as a rookie in 2019 but not so much after becoming a fulltime starter last season.
The ninth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft will be eligible for a contract extension after this coming season, which should determine which direction the Bills will go.
Oliver's play was widely believed to have slipped because he spent all of last season without fellow defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who opted out because of COVID-19 concerns. The play of the entire defensive line actually slipped without Lotulelei plugging the middle, playing the 1-technique.
Now that Lotulelei has returned, the prevailing belief is that Oliver is headed for a breakout season along with defensive end A.J. Epenesa and the rest of the line, bolstered in the offseason by the free-agent additions of Efe Obada, Nazair Jones and Treyvon Hester and the selections of Greg Rousseau and Carlos "Boogie" Basham in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
"Ed, I thought he played well last year," Lotulelei said. "He was dealing with a lot more double teams than he did his rookie year, but I feel like he played well. He always goes hard. That's one thing you know you’re going to get from Ed. He goes 100% every time he’s on the field. I love watching Ed play. He's like a missile out there."
Oliver's game is based more on quickness than power. With the proper complementary players around him, he can thrive. Without them ...
Oliver as a rookie contributed 43 tackles and 5.0 sacks. Last year, those totals slipped to 33 and 3.0, respectively, despite opponents playing one-dimensional on offense to keep up with Buffalo's consistently high-scoring attack. He played virtually the same number of snaps both seasons.
Although the expectations are high all around for Oliver, there is no mistaking that he is on the clock. It is unlikely the Bills would even pick up his fifth-year option, which they will be forced to decide on next offseason, much less pursue an extension, if he doesn't bounce back strongly this season.
"He’s a top pick," coach Sean McDermott said. "He’s here to affect the quarterback, affect the game, and this will be an opportunity for him to develop into a consistent performer for us. I really appreciate the way he’s worked, I think his offseason to this point has put him in position to do what I just mentioned.
"But again, the work remains, and there’s a lot of work to be done."
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
