Bills Hit With Dire News on Ed Oliver’s Injury

Oliver was hurt just before halftime in Buffalo’s 40-9 win over the Panthers, going down on a 3-yard rushing play from running back Chuba Hubbard.

As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg noted, the severity of Oliver’s injury was quickly apparent.

“As he fell to the ground on a block, Oliver flexed his left arm and then held it for a bit,” Getzenberg wrote. “He walked off the field with athletic trainers during the two-minute warning break, briefly went into medical tent and then walked to the locker room with an athletic trainer. He was quickly ruled out with the injury.”

Getzenberg reported on Monday that the team fears Oliver suffered a torn biceps, which could put him out for months and endanger his season. The veteran defensive tackle is undergoing an MRI that would confirm the severity of his injury.

Oliver started the season with one of the best games of his career, dominating the Baltimore Ravens and helping spark a 15-point comeback with just minutes left in the fourth quarter. Oliver finished the game with six total tackles including three tackles for a loss, a sack, and a forced fumble against running back Derrick Henry late in the fourth quarter.

He suffered a foot injury in practice later that week and missed more than a month, returning for the team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.

Oliver also had a strong performance against the Panthers before going down, registering a sack against veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.

Bills May Need to Seek Outside Help

The Bills have been hit with other injuries to their defensive line, with veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones also missing Sunday’s game with an injury.

With Oliver likely headed to injured reserve, the Bills may need to seek some help before next week’s NFL trade deadline. Reporter Ryan Talbot of Syracuse.com suggested before Oliver’s injury that the team could look at Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons as a reach target.

“Is it realistic? No, but if you are going to go all-in, Simmons is the type of player you try to acquire at the NFL trade deadline,” Talbot wrote.

Talbot added that the Bills have had some underwhelming performances from other defensive linemen.

“The spine of Buffalo’s defense has been flawed all season long and Simmons would immediately fix the defensive front,” Talbot wrote. “Injuries have plagued the defensive tackle position early in the season. The team was able to get Ed Oliver back before the bye after he missed several weeks with an ankle injury, but rookie T.J. Sanders is currently on the injured reserve and DaQuan Jones is likely out for a few weeks after popping his calf pre-game against the Atlanta Falcons.”