𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Ed Oliver didn’t practice Tuesday.

He’s hurt again.

But this isn’t like the other times.

“I got a little oops-oops,” Oliver said as the Buffalo Bills wrapped up their voluntary workout.

What qualifies as an oops-oops?

“If you was walking out that door and tripped a little bit, you had a little oops-oops,” Oliver said. “You didn’t fall, but you had an almost.”

Better to be cautious in May than have something drag into the autumn or winter, the Bills’ defensive lineman declared. He has been there too many times. Last season was the bleakest of his NFL career.

New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, coming over from the Denver Broncos, is thrilled about Oliver’s comeback.

“I think Ed’s going to be really disruptive in this defense,” Leonhard said, “the base defense being more different for him than what it’s been in the past and, in all reality, (giving Oliver) a little more freedom than he’s had in the past.”

There’s a spotlight on the defensive line, where we’ll see the most noticeable departures from fired Bills head coach Sean McDermott and his defensive coordinator, Bobby Babich.

Four practices into Buffalo’s offseason schedule, Leonhard said Oliver is starting to see “how we’re going to be able to utilize him and create some one-on-ones, isolate some guards, which all defensive linemen get excited about.”

Oliver beamed when considering the way Denver defensive lineman and 2019 draft classmate Zach Allen balled last year. Allen’s steady ascent from Arizona Cardinals backup to workhorse to Broncos stalwart led to his first All-Pro campaign. In the past two seasons, Allen amassed 15.5 sacks and 87 quarterback hits.

“I know this sounds cliché, but if you turn on the tape, the guy they had in Denver was pretty good, and he looks like he was playing pretty free,” Oliver said. “So hopefully I can have that same success in the same system. That’s definitely exciting. I don’t know. I just can’t wait.”

Oliver was a showstopper for three whole games last season, recording three sacks, four other tackles for losses, two additional quarterback hits and a forced fumble. But he missed four games in between the opener and Week 5 because an unidentified teammate stepped on Oliver’s ankle in practice.

In Week 7, Oliver tore his left biceps in a dominant performance over the Carolina Panthers. He underwent surgery and spent nearly three months on injured reserve. He returned for the Bills’ overtime playoff loss to the Broncos but played only 16 snaps.

“It definitely does suck,” Oliver said. “You question yourself: ‘Why me?’ You go through the pity party, typical athlete thing. But I’m healthy, and I don’t want to think about that. I’m thankful for my health that I got now.
“Maybe this year will be different.”

It will have to be. Oliver must adjust to a new system after spending his entire career with McDermott — a career that has been a mixture of sensational plays and aggravating inconsistency. In 14 playoff games, for instance, Oliver has recorded only 30 tackles, two sacks (none over the past three years) and 10 QB hits.

If not for last season’s injuries, maybe Oliver would have experienced more of what Allen enjoyed in Denver.

“Man, I was so comfortable last year,” Oliver said. “You could just tell through the film. I was super comfortable. I knew exactly. I’d been in the defense so long, I know the calls like the back of my hand. When it’s coming in, the call is behind me, and I’m already looking at the offense and what they got going on.

“I was playing so fast, but we’ll get back to that again because it’s just a call. Once you got the calls down pat, get the repetition, I’ll be back to ‘Let me check out the offense,’ so I can play faster.”

Oliver, despite feeling like he had mastered the previous coaching staff’s strategies, is nonetheless inspired by the possibilities.

“I guess it’s like a breakup, kinda,” Oliver said of switching to Leonhard’s system. “Everything you did in the last relationship, throw all that away. This is a whole ’nother person. You’ve got to relearn. It’s fun. It’s different.

“Change is always hard, but sometimes change is good. I just look at it with that kind of optimism and let it ride.”