In a season defined by inconsistency, the Buffalo Bills' silver linings are even glossier.
One such source of optimism has been defensive lineman Ed Oliver, the ninth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Oliver had struggled to justify that selection and it didn't help that respected elite talents like Christian Wilkins, Brian Burns, and Dexter Lawrence were chosen in the immediate aftermath. Eyebrows were raised when Oliver was bestowed a four-year, $68 million over the offseason but he has fulfilled every expectation despite an otherwise meandering season in Western New York.
According to a report from John Wawrow of the Associated Press, Oliver vowed to "outplay the contract" upon signing it in June. Having done so, the Houston alum wants to hear from those who doubted him.
“When you get paid and people are saying, `Why you pay the guy?′ it kind of does something to you,” Oliver remarked. "I just internalized that and just used it to fuel the fire. I know I was a good player. I know I was one of the best players that came out of my draft class and so that’s mainly been on my mind, and just go prove myself that I deserve to be talked about.”
Frankly, it's impossible not to talk about Oliver as the Bills (7-6) continue to embark upon a late playoff push. Defensive line coach Eric Washington was the latest to do so, praising Oliver for expanding upon his pass rushing skillset despite his interior tendencies.
"From my vantage point, (he's) a person maturing, a person that’s really knowing where to invest and how to invest, and investing with a certain level of attention to detail,” Washington said in the AP report. “He’s taken a pretty significant jump in my mind.”
In 12 games, Oliver has set career-bests in tackles for a loss (11) and sacks (6.5) and has tied his personal best in total tackles at 43. It's part of a decent Buffalo defensive effort that currently ranks sixth in points allowed and has forced the third-most turnovers in the league.
Oliver is hardly one of the reasons why the Bills are on the outside looking in when it comes to the current AFC playoff bracket. But he set aside pride to address his own shortcomings, shouldering the blame for some of the more narrow defeats. Each of the Bills' six losses have come by one possession with two having gone to overtime.
“I take it very personally,” Oliver said. “I’m here to outlast their guys and produce late in the game, which I feel like I did, but in a couple of games I felt I could have done more.”
Oliver won't have to wait long for a high-profile chance at reconciliation: the Bills face the red-hot Dallas Cowboys, owners of one of the NFL's most prolific offenses, on Sunday late afternoon at Highmark Stadium (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).
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