Why DT Ed Oliver Is Sixth-Most Important Player to Bills' 2026 Success

As the team enjoys its summer break, Bills On SI will unveil its Top 25 Player Rankings (based upon expected impact) for the 2026 season. The ranking methodology is based on positional value, past performance and expectations for any player. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver's high-impact play on the defensive line lands him at No. 6.

The Buffalo Bills' defensive line returns the majority of the same players it had in 2025 for 2026, but one of those players was sorely missed.

Ed Oliver, who's usually one of the defense's most impactful players, only played three games in 2025 due to injuries, and he'll be shifting to a 3-technique role in new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's scheme.

"The base defense being more different for him than it has in the past, and in all reality, more freedom than he’s had in the past," Leonhard said. "The sub-package things, a little more familiar to what they’ve done from a front structure."

Oliver's athleticism and game-breaking abilities have a chance to be put on full display, but 2025 was not a season to remember for him.

Ed Oliver's 2025 season

In practice before Buffalo's Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets, Oliver suffered an ankle injury that saw him in a walking boot. He missed four games, then came back, only to suffer a torn bicep in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.

Even worse, just when it looked like Oliver was going to return for the playoffs, he suffered a meniscus injury during his rehab, knocking him out for good. 2025 was the only season in which he didn't play at least 13 games.

The injuries limited Oliver's stat line to 12 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 5 quarterback hits. His presence was missed in a big way, as Buffalo allowed the fifth-most rushing yards per game in the NFL.

Oliver performed at a high level before his season-ending injury, which is a good sign for Bills fans hoping for him to bounce back in 2025 and provide a much-needed jolt to what appears to be a more aggressive defense under Leonhard.

Defense's Energizer bunny

.@BuffaloBills @Edoliver_11 was there a more impactful DT in week 1 than Ed Oliver? #BillsMafia #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/VQyFLuPH4s
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 8, 2025

When on the field, Oliver is one of the most impactful defensive tackles in the NFL, as shown in his Week 1 performance against the Baltimore Ravens when he made a game-changing play to spark one of Buffalo's best comebacks in recent memory.

With 3:10 left in the fourth quarter and the Bills down by eight, Oliver forced a fumble on Ravens running back Derrick Henry that Buffalo recovered, setting up the offense in Baltimore territory and helping them win 41-40.

Buffalo would like more plays like that from Oliver in 2026 as they face a much tougher schedule than last season, but the key for that to happen is to have him stay on the field.

Oliver's most productive season came in 2023, when he tallied 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. These ranked second and first on the Bills, respectively, but he has gone downhill since. In addition to his 2025 ailments, he dealt with a hamstring injury in 2024 that forced him to miss two games, and it may have hindered his ability, as evidenced by his 3 sacks and 5 TFLs that season.

The rest of the Top 25 so far:

25. RB Ty Johnson, June 16
24. CB Maxwell Hairston, June 17
23. K Tyler Bass, June 18
22. CB Dee Alford, June 19
21. LB Dorian Williams, June 20
20. RB Ray Davis, June 22
19. S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, June 23
18. G Alec Anderson, June 24
17. TE Dawson Knox, June 25
16. DT Deone Walker, June 27
15. TE Dalton Kincaid, June 28
14. G O'Cyrus Torrence, June 29
13. LB Terrel Bernard, July 1
12. C Connor McGovern, June 30
11. LB Greg Rousseau, July 2
10. WR Khalil Shakir, July 3
9. LB Bradley Chubb, July 7
8. S Cole Bishop, July 8
7. OT Spencer Brown, July 14

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