The Buffalo Bills officially ruled Ed Oliver out for Sunday afternoon’s game against the New York Jets, leaving a massive hole on the defensive line. Oliver was easily the best player on the defensive side of the ball for the Bills last week in their victory over the Baltimore Ravens, and now the team will have to fill his spot against a dangerous Jets running attack. With Breece Hall and Braelon Allen at running back, and dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields in the Jets’ offensive backfield, it should
be a formidable challenge for Sanders and the Bills’ defensive front on Sunday afternoon.
With Oliver’s absence, it is expected that rookie T. J. Sanders will start for the Bills. As a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, expectations have been relatively high for Sanders and the opportunity for him to contribute on defense. I wrote this article back in July, where I expected Sanders to be the rookie who would have the largest impact on the team this season. At that time, I was not expecting the opportunity to present itself in Week 2, but thanks to Oliver’s injury, the time is now.
Sanders’ blend of size, speed, and athleticism will give him an opportunity to play the majority of snaps at the three-technique position for the Bills on Sunday. Fellow rookie Deone Walker should also see an increase in playing time, but the expectation is that Sanders will be paired with Daquan Jones at defensive tackle for the Bills. In the season opener, Sanders played just 16 snaps on defense, recording zero statistics on the evening.
It will also be interesting to see who the Bills may call up from the practice squad to fill Oliver’s spot for Sunday’s game. Buffalo has three options in Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue, and Phidarian Mathis, the latter of whom signed just days ago. Phillips is the obvious choice, as he primarily has been a three-tech in his career, but the Bills could swerve and call up either of the other two players despite them profiling more as one-tech players in the Bills’ system.
While I try to keep my expectations in check when it comes to the play of rookies, Oliver’s injury is forcing the issue a bit for Sanders. Hopefully, he can rise the the occasion against the Jets on Sunday afternoon, and help the Bills to another victory in New Jersey.
