Coming off their bye week, Buffalo saw the return of leading starters on offense and defense.
Receiver DJ Moore returned on the offensive side of the ball, and defensive tackle Ed Oliver saw the field for the first time since earlier in the Bills' start to their 2026 campaign.
The DT missed time due to a hip injury sustained just minutes before the pregame deadline for players to be ruled inactive in the team's home opener against the Detroit Lions, and then again due to a knee injury that he suffered in Week 4 against the New England Patriots
In addition to the return from injury, Oliver is in a season following a tremendous and tragic personal loss.
The veteran's 2-year-old son, Ed Oliver III, passed away on June 28, 2026 this summer following
an accidental drowning in a residential swimming pool at the family's home near Houston, Texas.
The Oliver family and the team kept the tragedy private for about two months before the Buffalo Bills organization publicly expressed condolences and support following a distasteful social media leak. Teammates like Josh Allen, who took the press conference podium and made a direct statement of support when the news broke, and Bills coaches have rallied around Oliver and his family.
"I mean crazy crazy start to the year uh with everything I had going on and then the injuries to compiled on top of that," he said to the media.
The defensive star also spoke publicly after the Ravens win about the support he's received.
"I think a lot of them don't know it, but man, some days, I don't be feeling too high, I come in that D-Line room, and you got guys like Zane Durant that just put a smile on my face," Oliver shared. "Dion and TJ and the different personalities in the D-Line room, they really lift my spirits when I'm not really all the way there, and they just a joy to be around, and they don't know how much they mean to me.
I can't thank them enough for just just being around, and not making me feel awkward and just let me do my thing and they do their thing, and that don't change just because of what I got going on in my life. And I can't thank them enough for just being who they are."
Buffalo has his back, and has him back at a time that he's greatly needed.
The Buffalo defense has struggled to stop opponents offensive drives and scoring in his absence. Prior to his return against the Ravens, the team had limited opponents total yards and had only given up 25.3 points per game on average with Oliver on the field, but that number shot up to 31.7 points per game on average without him.
"Maybe it was just that we needed a little rest, a little reset week to get back to what we do as well," Oliver said about getting things on track defensively coming off the bye. "Maybe the bye-week played a little part in guys getting their body back. Obviously, it helped me. I get an extra week of recovery to come back and you know you get to reset and relax your mind for a week and you come back and you you got 0:3232 secondsa clean slate feel like at least and uh you play better."
Teammates Deone Walker and Greg Rousseau's abilities are also unlocked by Oliver's play to be a force, putting up big numbers with the DT, but having a drop off in production without him.
His presence and play have been a key to new coordinator's Jim Leonhard's defensive scheme as well as for his teammates to succeed as a unit.
"Felt good. It is is what I do. It's what I love to do," Oliver noted about being back out there with his team. "So, obviously, anytime I can be on the field playing, I want to do that."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills DT Ed Oliver opens up about return, support from teammates
