Orchard Park, N.Y. — When the Buffalo Bills made defensive tackle Ed Oliver the ninth overall pick in April’s NFL draft, the expectation was that he was going to make an immediate impact.

After eight games and just one sack, Oliver has played well at times but the 21-year-old hasn’t taken the league by storm like some expected.

The truth is Oliver was facing average talent at the college level and the Bills (6-2) knew there might be a learning curve as he started going up against NFL-level talent.

Early on in the process Oliver even admitted that he had to approach his one-on-one matchups differently now because his athleticism and speed weren’t enough to win on each down.

"It's not really what he hasn't done, it's more of what Jordan has done."



Ed Oliver lost his starting job to Jordan Phillips and saw just 18 snaps against WAS.



"I think taking a step back like we did yesterday... it'll give Ed a chance to have a different perspective."#Bills pic.twitter.com/CIC1fB6qf1 — Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) November 4, 2019

Bills coach Sean McDermott said the key to shoring up the run defense was reenforcing the fundamentals. That means players at all three levels of the defense filling their gaps and using good technique to make tackles. The other big change he made after the Philadelphia Eagles ran all over Buffalo to the tune of 212 yards rushing was to remove Oliver from the starting lineup against Washington and insert 27-year-old Jordan Phillips. The move didn’t seem to have that much of an impact, at least in the first half when Washington running back Adrian Peterson ran for 100 yards before halftime. The Bills rebounded in the second half and held Washington to just 18 yards rushing as a team, and won the game 24-9 to improve to 6-2 for the first time since 1993.

Oliver has just 18 snaps. His previous low this season was 34.

It wasn’t a surprising move when you really peel back the layers. Phillips is leading the NFL in sacks by an interior defensive lineman. His 6.0 sacks on the season are one better than two-time reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald (5.0).

McDermott downplayed the decision to remove Oliver by focusing on the fact that Phillips earned the promotion based on his play.

“Jordan (has earned) the right to get more opportunities, whether he started or not, he was going to get more opportunities,” McDermott said. “Ed is a young player that has to continue to develop. That comes down to going through his process during the week. I think Ed would tell you, if not the same, about the same. It’s not necessarily what he hasn’t done, it’s more what Jordan has done. And then, about Ed’s development at this point.”

Oliver has had moments where he’s flashed all the talent that had him among the elite prospects coming out of college football earlier this year. He’s been swallowed up by some blocks and whiffed on his fair share of one-on-one matchups, but he’s also stuck his nose into the middle of things and laid out some offensive linemen this season.

Here’s some not so good. pic.twitter.com/tigrWkyLlM — Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) November 4, 2019

But the consistency in his game hasn’t quite been there and with the run defense struggling, McDermott and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier decided to switch things up.

“He’s done a really good job for us. To come in and contribute the way he has through these first eight games, it’s been a gradual improvement for him,” Frazier said. “I think taking a step back like we did yesterday giving Jordan a start ... It will give Ed a chance to have a different perspective. I don’t think it’ll put a detour in his progress. It should help him as we go along because he’s around a lot of guys that can really learn from and he’s been learning from in practice. And now, without the demands of having to go out and start every game, not that he won’t necessarily get back in the starting lineup - hopefully it’s going to improve his play.”

McDermott and the coaching staff have a good track record when it comes to motivating players. They’ve tried similar approaches with linebacker Matt Milano and receiver Robert Foster in seasons past en route to positive results.

Frazier said he isn’t concerned and gets the sense that Oliver isn’t deterred either.

“I sense a guy who’s hungry to learn and just continue to develop,” he said. “That’s the vibe I get from Ed, that he’s just a guy who wants to take it all in and just keep getting better in his rookie season and I think that’s happening. He’s working extremely hard in the classroom. He’s doing what he needs to do off the field as well and he’ll get better as the year goes on, he has gotten better. So just time on task is what he needs.”

Bills safety Micah Hyde added even more context to what Oliver is going through because he said all rookies usually have to go through some form of adversity.

“He’ll be good. Every rookie goes through growing pains, no matter if you’re first overall pick or not,” Hyde said. “Every rookie goes through growing pains - I did. You learn hard lessons. But at the end of the day you need to get better from it and that’s exactly what he’ll do. He’s a tough guy, mentally.”

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