Ed Oliver (American football)

This article is about the American football player. For the golfer, see Ed Oliver (golfer).

Ed Oliver

Oliver with the Bills in 2021
No. 91 – Buffalo Bills
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1997-12-12) December 12, 1997 (age 26) Marksville, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	287 lb (130 kg)
Career information
High school:	Westfield (Houston, Texas)
College:	Houston (2016–2018)
NFL draft:	2019  / Round: 1 / Pick: 9
Career history
Buffalo Bills (2019–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2019) Outland Trophy (2017) Bill Willis Trophy (2016) 2× Consensus All-American (2017, 2018) 3× First-Team All-American (2016–2018) AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2017) AAC Rookie of the Year (2016) 3× First-Team All-AAC (2016–2018) AAC All-Freshman Team (2016)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles: 202 Sacks: 24.0 Forced fumbles: 5 Fumble recoveries: 1 Pass deflections: 14 Interceptions: 1
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Edward Oliver (born December 12, 1997) is an American football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston, and was drafted by the Bills in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Early years

Oliver attended Westfield High School in Houston. Oliver had 83 tackles, nine sacks and an interception as a senior and 84 tackles and seven sacks as a junior. In Oliver's senior season, Westfield went 11–1 into the 2015 UIL playoffs, where they lost 28–21 in the Area final to later state runner-up Austin Lake Travis. ^{[1] [2]}

Oliver was rated as a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked among the top players in his class. ^{[3] [4]} Receiving offers from a multitude of powerhouse schools, including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, Oliver chose to play college football at the University of Houston, becoming the first recruit rated by ESPN as a five-star to commit to a school outside the Power Five conferences. ^[5]

College career

Oliver with Houston in 2016

Oliver became an immediate starter his true freshman year at Houston in 2016. ^{[6] [7] [8]} He started all 12 games during the regular season, recording 60 tackles and five sacks. He was named the winner of the Bill Willis Trophy, becoming the first freshman to win the award. ^[9]

In 2017, Oliver's sophomore season, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-America first team and won the Outland Trophy, presented to the nation's top interior lineman. ^[10]

Following his junior year in 2018, Oliver decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

College statistics

Houston Cougars
Year	Team	Position	GP	Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
				Solo	Ast	Total	Loss	Sack	Int	Yards	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yards	TD	FF
2016	Houston	DT	12	46	19	65	22.0	5.0	0	0	0.0	0	6	0	0	0	2
2017	Houston	DT	12	47	26	73	16.5	5.5	0	0	0.0	0	3	1	0	0	2
2018	Houston	DT	8	29	25	54	14.5	3.0	0	0	0.0	0	2	0	0	0	1

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press	Wonderlic
6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m)	287 lb (130 kg)	31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.73 s	1.63 s	2.78 s	4.22 s	7.15 s	36.0 in (0.91 m)	10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)	32 reps	20
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day [11] [12]

Oliver at training camp in 2019

On March 5, 2018, before the start of his junior year, Oliver announced that he already intended to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2019 NFL Draft. ^[13] In May 2018, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay projected Oliver to go No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft. ^[14]

2019

Oliver was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round with the ninth overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. ^[15] On May 9, 2019, Oliver signed his four-year rookie contract, worth a fully guaranteed $19.7 million. ^[16]

In week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, Oliver recorded his first career sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick in the 31–21 win. ^[17] In week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, Oliver recorded two sacks on quarterback Dak Prescott, including a strip sack recovered by teammate Trent Murphy that set up a Bills touchdown in the 26–15 win. ^{[18] [19]} Oliver was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance in Dallas. ^{[20] [21]} He finished his rookie season with five sacks and 43 combined tackles. ^[22]

2020

In Week 2 against the Dolphins, Oliver recorded another season opening sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 31–28 win. ^[23] He finished the season with 33 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble through 16 starts. ^[24]

2021

Oliver entered the 2021 season as a starting defensive tackle. He started all 17 games, recording 41 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble. ^[25]

2022

On April 26, 2022, the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on Oliver's contract. ^[26] In Week 12, Oliver had six tackles, two for a loss, a safety, a forced fumble and recovery in a 28–25 win over the Lions, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. ^[27] He made 13 starts and appearances in the 2022 season. He recorded 2.5 sacks, one safety, 34 total tackles (20 solo), three passes defended, and one forced fumble. ^[28] In the Bills' Divisonal Round win over the Dolphins, Oliver had one sack. ^[29]

2023

On June 3, 2023, Oliver signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension with the Bills. ^[30] He made 16 starts and appearances in the 2023 season. He had 9.5 sacks, 51 total tackles (34 solo), one interception, three passes defended, and one forced fumble. ^[31]

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles							Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBH	Sck	Sfty	PD	Int	Yds	Y/I	Lng	TD	FF	FR	Yds	Y/R	TD
2019	BUF	16	7	43	24	19	5	8	5.0	0	2	0	0	—	0	0	1	0	0	—	0
2020	BUF	16	16	33	23	10	6	6	3.0	0	3	0	0	—	0	0	1	0	0	—	0
2021	BUF	17	17	41	29	12	10	14	4.0	0	3	0	0	—	0	0	1	0	0	—	0
2022	BUF	13	13	34	20	14	9	14	2.5	1	3	0	0	—	0	0	1	1	0	0.0	0
2023	BUF	15	15	50	33	17	14	16	9.5	0	3	1	0	—	0	0	1	0	0	—	0
Career		77	68	201	129	72	44	58	24.0	1	14	1	0	—	0	0	5	1	0	0.0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Tackles							Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBH	Sck	Sfty	PD	Int	Yds	Y/I	Lng	TD	FF	FR	Yds	Y/R	TD
2019	BUF	1	0	4	0	4	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
2020	BUF	3	3	8	5	3	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
2021	BUF	2	2	5	4	1	2	2	1.0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
2022	BUF	2	1	4	2	2	1	3	1.0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Career		8	6	21	11	10	4	5	2.0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	—	0

Personal life

A native of Houston, Texas, Oliver is an avid horseback rider. ^[32]

On May 16, 2020, Oliver was arrested in Houston on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon and held in Montgomery County Jail before posting bail the next day. ^[33] The charges were dismissed in July due to lack of evidence. ^[34] Later reflecting on the arrest, Oliver stated that he felt "violated" and recorded a 0.00% on his breathalyzer test. ^[35]

References

1. Davis, Danny (November 21, 2015). "Lake Travis moves to third round of state football playoffs". American-Statesman.
2. "Westfield vs Lake Travis: Full Game 11.21.2015". Texan Live. November 23, 2015 – via YouTube.
3. "Ed Oliver, 2016 Defensive Tackle, Houston". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
4. "College Sports News and Recruiting".
5. Hamilton, Gerry (May 22, 2015). "Houston nabs commitments from No. 3 DT Edward Oliver, tackle Jordan Elliott". ESPN.com . Retrieved December 12, 2016.
6. Khan Jr., Sam (September 15, 2016). "From five-star recruit to fabulous freshman, Houston's Ed Oliver making presence felt". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
7. Myerberg, Paul (November 24, 2016). "Houston's top prospect, DL Ed Oliver, proves to be something special". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
8. Duarte, Joseph (November 23, 2016). "UH freshman Ed Oliver on quest to be the best". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
9. McIlvoy, Randy (December 6, 2016). "UH DT Ed Oliver named 2016 Bill Willis Award winner". Click 2 Houston. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
10. Duarte, Joseph (December 7, 2017). "UH's Ed Oliver wins Outland Trophy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
11. "Ed Oliver Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
12. "2019 NFL Draft Scout Ed Oliver College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
13. Lewis, Edward (March 6, 2018). "Houston DT Ed Oliver intends to enter 2019 NFL Draft". NFL.com.
14. McShay, Todd (May 3, 2018). "McShay's way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft". ESPN.
15. Wesseling, Chris (April 26, 2019). "Bills use No. 9 pick on former Houston DT Ed Oliver". NFL.com.
16. Zucker, Joseph (May 9, 2019). "Ed Oliver Agrees to 4-Year Rookie Contract with Bills". Bleacher Report . Retrieved February 19, 2024.
17. "Bills D delivers in 31-21 victory over winless Dolphins". www.espn.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
18. Wolf, Jason (November 28, 2019). "Bills rookie Ed Oliver enjoys breakout performance in victory over Cowboys". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
19. "Trick TD sparks Bills in 26-15 Thanksgiving win over Cowboys". www.espn.com. November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
20. "Bills Today — Ed Oliver received this NFL award for his play in Week 13". www.buffalobills.com. December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
21. "Oliver named NFL's Rookie of the Week". News 4 Buffalo. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
22. "Ed Oliver 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
23. "Allen reaches career high in passing, Bills beat Dolphins". ESPN. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
24. "Ed Oliver 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
25. "Ed Oliver 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
26. Glab, Maddy (April 26, 2022). "Bills exercise DT Ed Oliver's fifth-year option". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
27. Gordon, Grant (November 30, 2022). "Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
28. "Ed Oliver 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
29. "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - January 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
30. Simmons, Myles (June 3, 2023). "Ed Oliver, Bills agree to four-year contract extension". NBCSports.com.
31. "Ed Oliver 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
32. Martinelli, Michelle R. (March 2, 2019). "Ed Oliver on how his horse Oreo helped him take on 300-pound linemen". For The Win. USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
33. "Bills lineman Ed Oliver arrested on DWI, gun charges". ESPN.com. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
34. Dajani, Jordan (July 22, 2020). "Charges dismissed against Bills' Ed Oliver after DWI arrest in May due to lack of evidence, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
35. Louis-Jacques, Marcel (August 10, 2020). "Bills' Oliver feels violated by unwarranted arrest". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Sports Reference (college)
• Ed Oliver on Twitter
• Houston Cougars bio
• Buffalo Bills bio