Bills agree to long-term deal with key defensive player

The Buffalo Bills reportedly are signing a key part of their defense to a long-term contract extension. On Saturday, they agreed to terms with defensive tackle Ed Oliver on a four-year, $68 million contract extension that also comes with $45 million in guaranteed money. 

That report comes via ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Oliver is a polarizing player in Buffalo because he arrived in the NFL as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and was supposed to be an impact player in the middle of the defensive line. 

He has been very good, but not always consistent and certainly not the superstar he was initially projected to be. 

Oliver's natural talent and ability is obvious to anybody who has watched him at the University of Houston or with the Bills. All of the potential in the world is there, but he sometimes struggles with consistency and preparation. That is something that Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington wants him to focus on.

Washington recently said that he wants Oliver to play more football "from the neck up."

Here is what Washington said, via the Buffalo News.

 “When you have the kind of talent Ed has, you have to understand situations that could mean the difference between separating yourself from the opponent [and saying], ‘I have to able to process very, very quickly so I can win my one-on-one so I can play ahead of the play as opposed to playing with the sequence of that particular play.’ With Ed, from an experience standpoint, we need him to play ahead as opposed to with the tempo of the play so [understanding] situations, certain nuances with certain calls and understanding where he can take advantage based on his position [is important].”

With this investment in Oliver long-term, the Bills are confident he can do that.

In 62 career regular-season games over four years, Oliver has 14.5 sacks, 11 pass defenses, four forced fumbles, 42 quarterback hits, 30 tackles for loss and 151 total tackles.

Buffalo is again projected to be one of the best teams in the NFL and will be getting some big lifts on its defense with the return of Damar Hamlin and Von Miller this season. Hamlin missed the end of the regular season and the playoffs after collapsing on the field during a Monday night game in Cincinnati in Week 17, while Miller tore his ACL on a Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit. 

Hamlin has already been cleared to return to football activities and is starting to work his way back, while Miller is still eyeing a return against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets for the team's season-opening game.