As a rookie, former Bills first-round pick Ed Oliver got off to a slow start. In the second half of 2019, he started to turn it on, ending his rookie campaign with five sacks.
After getting his footing, Oliver impressed, and now he’s got some big shoes to fill. Oliver’s taking over Jordan Phillips’ spot in Buffalo, who left for the Cardinals via free agency this summer. Because of that opportunity in front of him, NFL.com recently analyzed the Bills heading into the 2020 season. In doing so, Oliver was pegged as Buffalo’s “breakout start” next season. Here’s why:
2020 breakout star: Ed Oliver, defensive tackle. Oliver made a big impact during his rookie season and finished the year with five sacks. Which is pretty good for an interior lineman. And as an added spark for Bills fans, he was a much better player than Quinnen Williams, whom the Jets took with the third overall pick. Oliver should see more snaps from the 3-spot now that Jordan Phillips is in Arizona. Plus, with so much talent on the defensive line, there is a good chance he can become a dominant presence in the middle — like the Bills’ version of Aaron Donald.
As long as Oliver has his head on straight during the 2020 season, there’s no reason he shouldn’t improve once again this year. Oliver had a rocky offseason, but after being pulled over for a DWI and other chargers, he was cleared of everything. That’s great and Oliver deserves to be happy the truth came out, but he should just focus on football now. Also helping Oliver could be that referenced “talent.”
The Bills added guys like Quinton Jefferson and Mario Addison to the team’s defensive line rotation. Both players give opposing offensive lines more things to worry about when facing the Bills, which could bode well for returners like Oliver and Jerry Hughes on the edge.
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