The defensive tackle has had an up-and-down tenure in Buffalo, showing flashes of dominant play at times but failing to live up to the promise of his No. 9 overall pick in 2019. Oliver sparked trade speculation with a series of cryptic posts this offseason that appeared to say goodbye to Bills fans, and hinted at some internal turmoil with a later-deleted Instagram post that read “Show Me The Money or Ion Wanna Talk!!!”
Ballentine explored what he called a series of “shocking” trades the Cowboys could pursue before the start of the 2023 season, noting that they have a need to beef up their interior defensive line with Oliver.
“The selection of [first-round pick Mazi] Smith is a commitment to being better on the inside. Trading for someone like Ed Oliver would be doubling down on that commitment,” Ballentine wrote.
The Bleacher Report writer noted the trade speculation Oliver kicked up with his social media activity and the fact that he is entering a contract year with the Bills, hinting that it could lead to an early exit from Buffalo.
“Oliver’s looming contract extension might discourage the Cowboys from inquiring about his availability, but he is a penetrating defensive lineman who can cause problems on the inside,” Ballentine wrote. “The Cowboys don’t have anyone like him on the roster, and he could team up with Odighizuwa and Smith to form a great rotation at tackle.”
Bills May Not Be Inclined to Deal
Ballentine’s article focused on the needs of the Cowboys, avoiding speculation about what the Bills might receive in a trade or whether they would be willing to deal an important member of their defensive line rotation.
Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic had already taken on the Oliver trade rumors, writing in April that the Bills likely have no desire to trade him away. Buscaglia noted that the Bills already lost an important member of their defense with the departure of Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, and will also be missing edge rusher Von Miller for the start of the season as he recovers from an ACL tear.
Losing Oliver would be another major blow to the Bills with no clear upside, as draft picks likely would not be as appealing to a team in win-now mode, Buscaglia hinted.
“Oliver is one of their key defensive line pieces in trying to get to the Super Bowl this year, and operating without him would be a massive downgrade,” Buscaglia wrote. “They also already have to make up for not having Tremaine Edmunds and potentially Von Miller for some of the season. It wouldn’t make sense for them to add another thing to overcome during a critical year.”
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Bills Trade Proposal Ships Former First-Round Pick to Cowboys