The Buffalo Bills face a big task this weekend — trying to go to Florida and win the franchise’s first road playoff game in more than three decades.
If they can pull off the upset win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bills could have some help on the way.
Head coach Sean McDermott gave a big update on star defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who appeared to be on track for a Pro Bowl season when he suffered an injury in October and landed on injured reserve. Though he was hit with a setback while rehabbing, Oliver could be on track to return to the team if they should win this weekend and advance to the divisional round.
Sean McDermott Gives Hope for Ed Oliver’s Return
The Bills announced this week that they would not be taking any players off injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, quashing any hope that Oliver might rejoin his teammates for the start of the playoffs. But McDermott did give some hope that Oliver would be able to return sometime after Sunday.
âI would say potentially, but I donât want to commit to it yet,” McDermott said, via SI.com.
McDermott added that there were still some key benchmarks Oliver needed to reach in his rehab, though he didn’t have specifics on what those would be or when he could reach them.
âThereâs just a lot of things that need to happen between now and then,” McDermott said. “And to be honest with you, Iâm not up to speed on all what those boxes are that need to get checked, but thereâs a number of them. So, thatâs not out of the question. I think the best thing to say is weâll see.â
Ed Oliver’s Recent Setback
Oliver could have potentially returned to the Bills sooner, but Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com reported that he suffered a separate injury while rehabbing the original torn bicep.
âEd Oliver had a knee meniscus clean-up procedure after an injury popped up during rehab back from the bicep injury, per Sean McDermott,â Parrino shared in a post on X. âHeâs now working through both injuries hoping to make it back at some point in the playoffs.â
Oliver was in the midst of a monster season when he was hurt in October, registering 3.0 sacks and 12 total tackles in just three games. He helped spark the team’s unlikely comeback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, forcing a fumble against running back Derrick Henry that pushed the team to come back from 15 points down with less than five minutes remaining.
The Bills leaned on returning veteran Jordan Phillips on the defensive line with Oliver sidelined, but Phillips also suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on injured reserve before this week’s game.
The Bills ruled out another key player for Sunday’s game, losing rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston after he was hurt in the team’s season finale win over the New York Jets. McDermott explained that the team didn’t have enough reserves to take out all of their starters in the blowout win, which led to Hairston’s injury late in the fourth quarter.
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