5 breakout stars to watch for Buffalo Bills in 2020

4. DT Ed Oliver

After reaching the playoffs in 2017 for the first time this century, Sean McDermott’s club slumped to 6-10 the following year. Hence the Bills owned the ninth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and were looking to reinforce the middle of their defensive front.

The previous year, the club signed former Panthers’ first-round pick Star Lotulelei and reunited him with Sean McDermott’s – Carolina’s defensive coordinator before he was named the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in ’17.

One of the hotter names on the board last offseason was University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. His impressive athletic ability has some contemplating just how many positions he could line up and play. General manager Brandon Beane scooped the former Cougars’ standout.

The 22-year-old performer played in all 16 games and made seven starts for the playoff-bound Bills. He finished with 43 tackles and tied for third on the club with five sacks. He also knocked down a pair of passes and forced one fumble. In the overtime playoff loss at Houston, he notched four more stops.

Oliver is still a work in progress as both a run defender and a pass rusher. But it’s worth noting that the Bills have used free agency to bolster the interior of their defensive front in the form of ex-Panthers’ first-rounder Vernon Butler. That four-year pro, along with Lotulelei, could pass a little more wisdom onto a young player that will try to make up for the 9.5 sacks of Jordan Phillips – now with the Arizona Cardinals.

Next: No. 3