Ed Oliver injury: Bills DL to miss Jets game after teammate steps on foot, could be out for multiple weeks

Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Friday that defensive lineman Ed Oliver will miss Buffalo's Week 2 game against the New York Jets due to an ankle injury. Oliver is expected to miss multiple weeks while he recovers, according to ESPN. 

Oliver's foot was stepped on during practice, and he was spotted wearing a walking boot Thursday. 

"It's unfortunate," McDermott said. "Things happen, come up through practice ... Unfortunate, but an opportunity for somebody to step up early in the year here and show us what they've got." 

It's a tough blow for Buffalo's defense. Oliver has emerged as one of the NFL's top interior defensive linemen in recent years. He had six total tackles, one sack and forced a fumble in the Bills' season-opening win against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 7. He also stopped Ravens running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson at or behind the line of scrimmage three times. 

Oliver missed two games in 2024 with a hamstring injury and finished the year with just three sacks. He had the best year of his career in 2023 when he logged 51 total tackles and a career-high 9.5 sacks. 

A former top-10 pick out of Houston, Oliver was a member of the 2019 PFWA All-Rookie Team. With Oliver sidelined, Larry Ogunjobi suspended and DeWayne Carter on season-ending injured reserve, the Bills may have to rely heavily on a pair of rookies in T.J. Sanders, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Deone Walker, a fourth-round selection, to round out their defensive tackle rotation.