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Bills' rookie T.J. Sanders learned what most already knew about Ed Oliver

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Ronnie Eastham | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 8:10 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills were looking to bolster their defensive line this season, starting with the NFL Draft.

In April, the Bills selected defensive linemen T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, and Landon Jackson with three of their top four picks. They traded up in Round 2 to No. 41 overall and selected Sanders, who looks to slide in somewhere behind current starter Ed Oliver.

Earlier this week, the media had an opportunity to speak with Sanders about his experience so far and his readiness for rookie life in the NFL.

One main task at hand is becoming acclimated to the defense.

"As far as the mental side, I feel like every day is growing. We are putting in new things every day, you know, just trying to get adjusted. And I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job of that, and physically, just the same thing, every day, just taking it one step at a time, trying to get to where it slows down for me," said Sanders.

It's often said of rookies, they are "wide-eyed" during their first offseason experience. Just trying to adjust to life in the NFL from what they became used to as a collegiate athlete, it's vastly different, which speaks to Sanders' comment about "get to where it slows down."

This main goal for rookies is learn the playbook and try to slow the game down. Once they accomplish that, they can let their athleticism and talent take over. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen until Year 2, in most cases.

Sanders was also asked what it was about McDermott and Babich's defense that excites him.

"Honestly, the guys I'm surrounded by. Ed, Greg [Rousseau], Joey [Bosa], all the whole room, d-tackles, d-ends are just guys that I've seen growing up, and getting a chance to play beside them, I'm really excited about that," said Sanders.

Spending time with the guys during OTAs and training camp, players tend to learn a little more about each other, not just on the field but off the field.

"He [Oliver] has a thing for horses, and yeah, nah. That kind of threw me off. I didn't know he was a big horse guy," said Sanders.

It's not unheard of to see videos of Oliver galloping down the roads on horseback, but many of us already knew that about Oliver. This season, with the young talent on the defensive line, should be fun to watch, and hopefully, these guys will provide the missing piece to a Super Bowl run.