73% of Bills fans think Ed Oliver will be traded this offseason

There have been many Buffalo Bills hot takes swirling around media outlets this offseason. Will the Bills trade for a legitimate WR2? Will they take a guard or linebacker with their first draft pick? Will Derrick Henry be in the Bills backfield this coming season? These topics have caused much debate amongst Bills Mafia, but one common theme across all Bills brethren is that the Bills MUST trade Ed Oliver before the start of the 2023 season.

Ed Oliver was a highly touted defensive tackle when he was drafted ninth overall in the 2019 draft out of The University of Houston — and why not? While there, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-American First Team and won the Outland Trophy for the nation’s top interior lineman.  

Oliver did show some promise his rookie season, but he never came to fruition in a Bills defense that heavily relies on its defensive tackles. Though he’s had some flashes of greatness, his average PFF grade over his first four seasons is 63.2, suggesting he’s a mid-level DT2.

Oliver’s 2023 cap hit is projected to be $10.7 million, which is sixth-highest on the Bills roster. Is Ed Oliver the sixth best player in Buffalo? The answer is a resounding NO. Ed Oliver isn’t even the best defensive tackle on the team — DaQuan Jones outperformed him in his only season in Buffalo.

Though general manager Brandon Beane has been quietly crafty this offseason, frugally filling multiple positions of need, rumor has it the Bills are still looking for a legitimate WR2. As it stands now, per Spotrac, the Bills are currently $10.6M under the cap — with approximately $5M of that needing to go to draft picks. $5M won’t pay for DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr or Mike Evans.

The most obvious way to clear up cap space for the Bills will be to do what they can to relieve themselves of Ed Oliver’s 2023 contract. The only way to do that fully, is a trade. 

What team needs defensive line help AND has an expensive asset they’re trying to unload that the Bills want? Easy. The Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have perhaps the worst defensive line in the league. Names like Kevin Strong Jr, Jonathon Ledbetter and Leki Fotu don’t turn too many needles. In fact, the highest PFF grade amongst them is Kevin Strong Jr’s 59.5. Ed Oliver would be an immediate upgrade to a putrid Cardinals defensive line.

Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray will likely miss much of the 2023 season and it is unlikely that the franchise will be competitive. Allowing one of the league’s premier receivers to catch balls from Colt McCoy is a poor business move. Because of this, the Cardinals are looking to unload DeAndre Hopkins, who is still regarded as one of the top receivers in the league. Hopkins still has two years left on his contract with $19.45M hitting the 2023 books. Per Spotrac, if the Bills were to trade Ed Oliver (10.7M) for DeAndre Hopkins, the Bills would be able to secure Hopkins and his full $19.45M cap hit.

Bottom line, a trade centered around Ed Oliver for DeAndre Hopkins would fulfill the needs of two teams headed in different directions.