Injured Bills' DT shows signs of healing during Thursday Night Football pregame

Buffalo Bills' defensive tackle Ed Oliver is inactive for his second consecutive game due to an ankle injury, but the veteran may be trending toward a return.

In the moments before Buffalo’s Thursday night matchup with the Miami Dolphins, WGRZ’s Jonathan Acosta caught Oliver walking from the field to the sideline in a short video posted to social media. During the brief clip, Oliver is seen having ditched the walking boot that he had been wearing since sustaining his ankle injury before his team’s Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets.

A look at #Bills DT Ed Oliver walking around tonight during pregame warmups.

Oliver is set to miss his second straight game tonight with an ankle injury.#BillsMafia @WGRZ pic.twitter.com/BRz5UBFXYq
— Jonathan Acosta (@_jacosta) September 18, 2025

Oliver was seen as recently as Tuesday, walking with assistance from a walking boot. However, on Thursday, the veteran defensive tackle was walking in what appeared to be tennis shoes as he got set to watch his team from the sideline.

The former first-round pick was stepped on during the Bills’ first practice of Week 2 and has now been out the past two weeks. But the Bills have not placed him on injured reserve, leaving his status for Week 4 up in the air.

Before being injured, Oliver burst onto the scene with a phenomenal Week 1 performance, recording six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble that helped Buffalo storm back and earn a 41-40 win. While the Bills’ defense fared well without him in Week 2, the sooner it sees the return of one of its key pieces, the better. And Oliver appears to be showing signs of recovery.

MORE: Bills may have hinted at good news on Matt Milano injury despite Week 3 absence

In his absence, rookie defensive tackles T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker, along with practice-squad call-up Zion Logue, will continue to see increased opportunity.

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