Bills & Cowboys 'Shocking' Trade Idea Sends DT Ed Oliver to Dallas

The Buffalo Bills can either give defensive tackle Ed Oliver the extension he wants, or trade him before the season to avoid losing him for nothing next spring.

All current talk surrounding the Buffalo Bills is either focused on DeAndre Hopkins or Josh Allen's new love interest. Understandably so, these topics are getting all the headlines.

But what about one of Buffalo's early-offseason attention-grabbers?

Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver is entering the final year of his rookie deal and made it know in March how he feels about his contract situation on social media before quickly taking things back and deleting (almost) all the evidence.

"Show me the money or (I don't) wanna talk!" Oliver wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post.

The Bills can either give Oliver the extension he wants, or trade him before the season to avoid losing him for nothing next offseason. Bleacher Report thinks the latter would qualify for a "shocking" trade, especially when considering where Oliver would be headed in this scenario.

B/R compiled a list of "shocking" trade ideas that the Dallas Cowboys should pursue and listed Oliver as a player to consider. While the financials of it all certainly make things easier said than done, it'd be a scary sight to see Oliver join a defense that was one of the league's best last season.

"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," B/R wrote. "The Cowboys don't have anyone like him on the roster, and he could team up with (Osi) Odighizuwa and (Mazi) Smith to form a great rotation at tackle.

The No. 9 overall pick in 2019, Oliver has carved out a solid NFL career for himself, but has yet to reach the star-studded expectations that comes with being a top-10 selection. In four seasons, he's totaled 151 tackles, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and 11 passes defended.

Despite the uncertainty of his future in Buffalo, Oliver has the vote of confidence from Bills coach Sean McDermott. 

"I've seen him develop, on the field, off the field," McDermott said at the NFL Combine. "Last season ... I thought he affected the quarterback maybe more so than his sack production would show."

However, even McDermott's wording didn't seem to hide the potential uncertainty that surrounds Oliver's future in Buffalo this offseason and headed into the 2023 campaign.

"Whether it's Ed or anybody along our defensive line, that's a huge position for us," he said. 

As the cliche goes, it's business first in the NFL. And though the Bills would likely love to keep their top pick from 2019, including him in a potential trade before he enters the final season of his rookie contract could be for the greater benefit of the team.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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