Orchard Park, N.Y. — The news is bad. Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver tore his bicep muscle in the team’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
Oliver will have surgery on the injured arm and will be out indefinitely. The former first-round pick took to Instagram on Monday night to share a message: “I’ll be back just in time to play for it all,” he wrote.
The injury timeline for a torn biceps muscle usually means at least three months of rehab. That would give Oliver a chance to return for the Super Bowl, but the Bills would have to get there first -- without him.
How will the Bills look to replace him, and what does losing Oliver mean for a defense and team facing questions about whether they can contend for the Super Bowl this season?
Here are five thoughts on what the plan might look like and who must step up in Oliver’s absence.
Buffalo Bills v Carolina Panthers
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Ed Oliver #91 and Michael Hoecht #55 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate after a sack in the first quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)Getty Images
1. Should Brandon Beane trade for a d-tackle?
Bills coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that he was planning to sit down with general manager Brandon Beane to figure out whether the team needed to make a roster move at defensive tackle. Oliver is out for the foreseeable future, while veteran DaQuan Jones has missed the last two games with a calf injury, and rookie second-round pick T.J. Sanders still has at least two more weeks until he can be activated off injured reserve with a knee injury.
Right now on the Bills’ 53-man roster, McDermott only has two healthy defensive tackles: Larry Ogunjobi and rookie Deone Walker. However, Buffalo does have some depth in veterans Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue, and Phidarian Mathias available on the practice squad.
The Bills have a sneaky tough stretch of games coming up over the next month, starting with the Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) and including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) and Houston Texans (3-4). If the price is right, Beane should consider adding a veteran to help with the tackle rotation.
The easiest connection to make is to New York Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, whom the Bills drafted. He only comes with $4 million cap hit. The trade could include the Jets picking up enough of it to fit it into the Bills’ limited salary cap space, estimated at $2.5 million by Spotrac.com.
One other name to consider is 39-year-old Arizona Cardinals tackle Calais Campbell. According to Pro Football Focus, Campbell ranks 24th in the NFL with 17 quarterback pressures this season. That’s more than any Bills defensive tackle through seven games. Campbell has a $6 million cap.
2. WhyMichael Hoecht’s breakout performance looms even larger
Hoecht’s 1.5-sack debut meant a lot more to the Bills’ defense than just helping to beat down the Panthers. His arrival after serving a six-game suspension showcased his value to everybody else on the Bills’ defensive line. Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Joey Bosa, Oliver, Walker, and Phillips all had a sack in the game.
Hoecht can rush on the inside on obvious passing downs, while bringing a quick first step and power off the edge. The former undrafted converted defensive tackle attended Brown, an Ivy League school.
Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich used a great metaphor to describe what it’s like to have a player like Hoecht, who combines high football I.Q. with a ferocious appetite for violence in between the lines.
“You guys see when he’s out there, it is full tilt. He’s basically, if you compare it to music, he’s a composer for classical music when it comes to scheme, but then when you put him out on the field, it’s like heavy metal,” Babich said. “He certainly helps everybody around him. He’s extremely smart. He can take a lot of information and process it quickly, and that certainly helps some other guys to free up.”
3. One rookie must take a big step
Sanders is at least two weeks away from returning to practice, but, realistically, it’s probably a safer bet that he won’t be back in a meaningful role until December. Before a knee injury ended his rookie campaign, he struggled.
Sanders played 49% of snaps in his four games before the injury. He didn’t record a single sack or tackle for loss, and Pro Football Reference says he only forced one quarterback pressure. That’s not the kind of production that Beane was hoping for when he traded up for Sanders last April.
The good news is that when Sanders returns, he’ll be joining a defensive line that looks completely different. Fellow rookie Deone Walker has been the team’s best first-year player. Walker’s 13 run stops are tied for 8th place in the NFL among defensive linemen.
The expectation shouldn’t be for Sanders to add much as a run defender. He was drafted to be a threat as a pass rusher on money downs. With Hoecht now in the mix, Sanders could fill the role he was drafted to undertake.
4. What Larry Ogunjobi represents
Ogunjobi’s debut was filled with the fireworks that Hoecht brought in Carolina, but the nine-year veteran already made his presence felt. With Oliver now out of the mix, Ogunjobi becomes the Bills’ top three-technique tackle.
“Larry did some good stuff for us in there. Some things that don’t get noticed,” Babich said.
The Panthers entered the game as one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL. The Bills held them to just 114 yards on the ground, their lowest output in their last five games.
Ogunjobi was effective holding up blocks or moving down the line on numerous Panthers runs to help limit big plays. He’ll now be asked to play an even bigger role, primarily until Sanders and Jones return.
5. More reason to add at receiver
The tackle trade ideas are warranted, but Beane needs to make a move at receiver, too. The “everybody eats” philosophy is a great model, but when the Bills are passing and need somebody to get open, Josh Allen’s options have been limited through seven games.
Joshua Palmers can help in that department when he’s healthy. But since he went down with an ankle injury against the Atlanta Falcons, the passing game has felt hard.
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady refuted the idea that the team’s passing game has struggled, especially when trying to push the ball down the field. He argued on Monday that Buffalo didn’t need the passing game against the Panthers.
The Bills did run for over 200 yards, but some of the miscues in the passing game are concerning.
“Look back to the Baltimore game – if we need to pass the ball and passing situation, we can do it," he said. “I have no concerns with the pass game. Obviously, I love to go every game and run for 200 and throw for 300, but that wasn’t how the game needed to be won.”
At the same time, Brady admitted the passing game needs to improve.
“When you look at us the last few weeks, we have to obviously improve in the pass game,” Brady said. “I wouldn’t say it’s been hard, but in the situations that we’re in, we’re not helping ourselves get out of some of those situations.”
A new receiver might help Brady find some answers and clarity on the issues.
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