What are your thoughts on Ed Oliver?

[Virgil]

He’s not the second coming of Aaron Donald that many tried to sell him as. He slipped for a reason. He’s decent, but not great. 
 

I look at it this way, it he were to miss a game, how much would we miss him?

[Doc Brown]

He's similar to Edmunds in a lot of ways (average starter with some flashes of greatness) which is why they pry pick up his 5th year option.  You know you're getting a serviceable player for at least two more seasons giving you more time to evaluate whether a 2nd contract is warranted.  I'm guessing since he won't make the pro bowl you can pick it up for about $8m.  

[Jay_Fixit]

2 hours ago, SCBills said:

I’d probably let him walk when the time comes. 
 

My ideal draft would be Jordan Davis late 1st and the BPA IOL in the 2nd.  
 

Starting to lean towards extending Edmunds so Oliver is odd man out on this defense.  
 

Lol

 

Oliver was arguably the best defensive player in his draft.

 

Yeah, let him walk for another unproven player. YIKKKESSSSSS

 

Tell me you have no idea what you’re talking about without telling me you have no idea what you’re talking about.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

It is pretty rare to not pick up the 5th year. There Has to be some

major red flag. 

[NewEra]

11 minutes ago, Jay_Fixit said:

Lol

 

Oliver was arguably the best defensive player in his draft.

 

Yeah, let him walk for another unproven player. YIKKKESSSSSS

 

Tell me you have no idea what you’re talking about without telling me you have no idea what you’re talking about.

What he was during his draft year means nothing 5 years into his nfl career. 
 

I’m ok with paying him.  I love the dude.  But I can see a world where we have to say good bye due to the salary cap.  You can’t pay everyone 

[John from Riverside]

2 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Overall, I’m a little disappointed with what we’ve seen from Ed Oliver.   Last year, some had theorized that his lack of production was the result of not having a true 1TDT to take on blockers.   Well Star is back and is having his best season with the Bills, yet Oliver still hasn’t made much more of an impact.  
 

He hasn’t been bad necessarily and can make an occasional splash play.  But he also seems to be a non-factor for long stretches of game and has provided little in terms of a pass rush.  It seems to me that he doesn’t win his matchup enough.  The word on Oliver is that you can take him out of a play completely with a double team.  
 

At this point, if I’m Brandon Beane, I definitely wouldn’t  pick up his option this off-season, unless Ed takes his game to another level this year.   I feel that you can match Oliver’s production with a younger player or a veteran that will sign for a much cheaper deal than what it would take to keep Oliver in town.  

Would you pick up Oliver’s option after this season?

 

Yes

[par73]

Undersized, from a low- ranked conference, had issues his last year at Houston. I didn't like the pick, and he has done nothing but confirm my opinion.

[SydneyBillsFan]

The other top level DT's in that draft were Williams who the Jests took at 3 and Wilkins who the Fish took at 17 - how would they both compare with Oliver today?

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, bigK14094 said:

WFT has four @1 picks in the DL

All four starters on the bills defensive line we're also for first round picks technically 

 

Jerry Hughes first round with Indianapolis 

 

Greg Rousseau first round with Buffalo

 

Star first round with Panthers 

 

Ed Oliver first round with the Buffalo Bills 

 

Boom 💥

 

 

 

 

[GunnerBill]

I think it is very touch and go. He is inconsistent still even within games. We saw it again on Monday night. He blew up a third down play early on and forced a throw away and then there was a series second half where he made plays but I don't see the consistency that you'd like. He is super talented. I still feel like at some point it will click and he will have a monster year somewhere. 

[No_Matter_What]

4 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

He's similar to Edmunds in a lot of ways (average starter with some flashes of greatness) which is why they pry pick up his 5th year option.  You know you're getting a serviceable player for at least two more seasons giving you more time to evaluate whether a 2nd contract is warranted.  I'm guessing since he won't make the pro bowl you can pick it up for about $8m.  

If overthecap has it right it is slightly over 10M.

 

https://overthecap.com/fifth-year-option-projections/

[mannc]

5 hours ago, Jay_Fixit said:

Lol

 

Oliver was arguably the best defensive player in his draft.

Not even close. Did you watch number 98 on the Titans Monday night?  And of course Nick Bosa.

[CSBill]

I like him, but I still maintain he would be better as defensive end--I think he undersized for the tackle position, move him outside and better use his quickness.

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, mannc said:

Not even close. Did you watch number 98 on the Titans Monday night?  And of course Nick Bosa.

 

Nick Bosa was the best defensive player in that draft, and has been in the league. I had Oliver 2nd, but then pre-injury I had Simmons and Williams right together at #3. Tennessee take guys who fall with injury concerns - they did it with Simmons and it worked, they have gone back to well with Farley. I think their GM is one of the most underrated in the NFL - Jon Robinson. He whiffed on Isaiah Wilson but otherwise he has a really nice track record. 

2 minutes ago, CSBill said:

I like him, but I still maintain he would be better as defensive end--I think he undersized for the tackle position, move him outside and better use his quickness.

 

No. Look at Chris Jones trying to play end for KC. Ed's size has not been an issue at all since his rookie year. His issue has been consistency and motor for me. I am not convinced he goes 100% on every play. 

[mannc]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Nick Bosa was the best defensive player in that draft, and has been in the league. I had Oliver 2nd, but then pre-injury I had Simmons and Williams right together at #3. Tennessee take guys who fall with injury concerns - they did it with Simmons and it worked, they have gone back to well with Farley. I think their GM is one of the most underrated in the NFL - Jon Robinson. He whiffed on Isaiah Wilson but otherwise he has a really nice track record. 

 

 

I’d take Dexter Lawrence over Oliver, too. Bigger, more physical, but still moves well.

[Dont Stop Billeiving]

7 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Which is weird because they’ve probably invested more than any other team in the league to the defensive line….

On a macro level, that's definitely true and it's unfortunate. It's likely helped to improve the run defense overall in 2021, but I'm not sure that the depth and rotation strategy that the Bills have been relying on is working when it comes to affecting the opposing QB. It looks good against weaker teams, but against better QBs and offensive lines, it seems like we only have a couple above-average players and then average players on the rest of the line as opposed to any true difference makers. That's how it feels currently in terms of the pass rush although there's some potential for the younger guys like Rousseau, Basham, and Epenesa.

 

The truly elite pass rushers in the NFL are typically drafted in the top five picks or signed in free agency for 20+ million per season. It's a tough problem to solve without either tanking/being bad enough to draft that high or wrecking your cap. As @SCBills mentioned above, I have to hope that we can draft a monster DT like Jordan Davis in the first round to provide more interior pressure and that combined with the development of our three young edge rushers will lead to an improved pass rush next season. Maybe we swing a trade at some point to bring in an elite edge guy, but I wouldn't count on it. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

He seems to think he's 340lbs. He loves to engage the lineman and bullrush. With his athleticism he should be attacking the gaps not going heads up with the lineman. 

 

Was watching a break down of Star and he was trying to use his quickness to attack the gap while Ed next to him pretty much held his ground taking on blockers. I don't know if it's scheme or what but I would think the coaches would want him to unlock his pass rush potential. He doesn't seem to have progressed at all as a pass rusher unless he's playing Houston or in Texas. 

[McBean]

The guy I was pounding the table for in that draft at #9 sealed the game Monday night…Jeffrey Simmons.

 

Oliver hasn’t come close to his draft status. He isn’t very good.

[GunnerBill]

26 minutes ago, mannc said:

I’d take Dexter Lawrence over Oliver, too. Bigger, more physical, but still moves well.

 

He has been more consistent. His highs are not as high, but he plays will full motor all the time and that is the legit knock on Ed. 

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, McBean said:

The guy I was pounding the table for in that draft at #9 sealed the game Monday night…Jeffrey Simmons.

 

Oliver hasn’t come close to his draft status. He isn’t very good.

 

Ed is good. He hasn't lived up to top 10 draft status and he hasn't been consistent enough. It is worth saying on Simmons that while he was excellent last year he has actually taken some heat for disappearing so far this year too from Titans fans. He played well on Monday Night but he isn't without questions about whether he always brings his A game either.