After many injuries, Ed Oliver’s frustration has finally reached a boiling point. During a dominating game against the Carolina Panthers, he suffered a torn left biceps. While fans grapple with the harrowing update, the player couldn’t hold himself back. 

“Sack leader through 8 weeks for DT was 4.5. I had 3 sacks with only playing 2 1/2 games. Bruhh. That injury bug a mf.” Buffalo’s digital media outlet, Built in Buffalo, shared Oliver’s Instagram story on X. The caption read,

“Ed Oliver’s IG story this morning — clearly some frustration.” In the story, the Louisiana-native flexed his terrific stats for sacks when he barely played this season. In other words, it could have been a breakout year for Ed had he not gotten injured. Oliver recorded a total of 12 combined tackles, out of which 10 were solo.

But a question arises: how did he injure himself?

The athlete met a disappointing fate late in the second quarter. It happened in the Bills’ brutal 40-9 win over the Panthers. 

It was right before the two-minute warning when Carolina RB Chuba Hubbard hurt Ed on a 3-yard run. After being blocked by Chuba, the DT grabbed his left arm in pain. Next, the crowd at Bank of America Stadium saw Oliver leaving with trainers before they dismissed him from the game. The worst part? The coach has ruled the Buffalo Bills’ star defender out indefinitely, just when the franchise needs him the most.

On Monday, Sean McDermott confirmed Ed’s injury and revealed that he would undergo surgery. The bad news was confirmed after the MRI reports came. It means that the player will be out for an unknown amount of time. But recently, the 9th overall pick shared another update on IG, and it gave some real hope. 

“I’ll be back just in time to play for it all.” While this sounds promising, we can’t ignore that the Bills’ defensive line is running out of healthy players. With Oliver joining other injured DTs like DaQuan Jones and rookie T.J. Sanders, the franchise may need to find replacements soon.

Who can fill in for Ed Oliver?

If Buffalo wants to keep its playoff hopes alive, it must work on the defense front. Oliver’s injury has opened the door for a trade that can turn around the unit’s luck. According to Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker, Tennessee Titans’ standout Jeffery Simmons could be the Bills’ ace card. 

“A team like the Bills could sorely use a player like Simmons, especially in light of Ed Oliver’s season-ending biceps injury. This season, Buffalo interior defenders rank 23rd in pass-rush win rate and 15th in PFF pass-rushing grade. Considering injuries to DaQuan Jones and rookie T.J. Sanders, Buffalo’s interior is still a weak point, as no Bill [player] has produced more than 11 pressures this year,” Locker wrote.

The 19th overall pick boasts a 91.1 PFF pass-rush grade, the highest in the league. Moreover, Jeffery is a strong run-stopper, which is the franchise’s need of the hour. In week 4 against the Houston Texans, Simmons sacked C.J. Stroud in 2.09 seconds for a 3-yard loss. It was the fastest NFL sack in over two seasons per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Besides that, he has recorded a total of 30 combined tackles this season. Out of which 21 were solo.

However, Simmons is under ‌ $94 million contract with the Titans through 2027. Buffalo’s tight salary cap wouldn’t allow the trade to take place. Also, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Tennessee isn’t very keen to trade its star defender. 

Following Oliver’s injury, the time is ticking for the Bills to do something about their injury crisis. For now, it’s unclear whether they’ll look within their roster or bring in new talent.