ESPN surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top-10 players at every position. At defensive tackle, there was no good news for the Buffalo Bills.
None at all.
The defensive line was revamped in Buffalo this offseason. Tim Settle, DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips signed during free agency.
However, the top of the bunch for many is still Ed Oliver. The former first-round pick still isn’t getting love from his peers around the NFL, according to the poll.
At least not top-10 love.
Oliver did not appear in ESPN’s NFL-wide poll.
Not only that, he actually did not even receive a single vote. The former world-wide leader noted a few honorable mentions and any player that received a vote in general.
No Oliver to be found.
Despite that, this does shine some light on the team’s decision to sign Von Miller. The future Hall of Famer himself will be a big injection of talent on the D-line. However, there’s hope he makes those around him better, including Oliver.
The Bills have already picked up the fifth-year option on Oliver’s rookie deal. That keeps him locked into his contract in Buffalo for the next two seasons–Plenty of time for Oliver to crack such a ranking, especially after his breakout 2021 campaign.
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