Ed Oliver, the Buffalo Bills’ 2019 first-round pick, now stands as the fourth-longest tenured player on the roster, a stark reminder of how fast the NFL can churn a lineup. This wild shift happened right after nine-year head coach Sean McDermott got fired and the Bills brought in a whole new coaching staff. It’s a massive shake-up, and it tells you everything about the current state in Orchard Park.
Who’s Still Rocking a Bills Jersey from Way Back When?
Think about that for a second: Ed Oliver, who’s been a beast on the D-line since 2019, is suddenly one of the absolute veterans in the locker room. Time clearly flies in the NFL, huh? But who else has managed to stick around in Buffalo through all the changes? Well, sitting at third-longest is none other than Josh Allen, the QB they drafted first round in 2018. Second-longest? That’s Dion Dawkins, a second-round pick from 2017. And the absolute OG, the longest-tenured Bills player by a mile, is long snapper Reid Ferguson. This dude, now 32, signed as an undrafted free agent way back after the 2016 draft! When Ferguson steps onto the field for Week 1, he’ll be playing for his third Bills head coach, going from Rex Ryan to McDermott and now to Joe Brady. Talk about seeing some eras come and go, right? Oh, and shoutout to Dawson Knox too, he’s the fifth-longest tenured Bill going into this 2026 season. That’s a core that’s seen some stuff.
The McDermott Era Is Officially Gone
If you watched the Bills under McDermott, you know one thing was crystal clear: he loved his guys. He had an unwavering reliance on familiar faces, regardless of how many stops they’d made or how old they were. Names like Jordan Phillips, Baylon Spector, A.J. Klein, Deane Marlowe, Matt Milano, Jordan Poyer, Shaq Thompson, Tre’Davious White, Shaq Lawson, and Gabe Davis? Those were his staples. Because of that loyalty, the 2025 Bills roster was stacked with players brought in during the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, and a lot of them were playing huge roles in massive games. But that’s all changing, and fast. When Oliver steps onto the grass at the new Highmark Stadium, get this: he’s not just a top-five guy overall, he’s now the longest-tenured Buffalo defender, by a full two years over Greg Rousseau! Rousseau, who just turned 26 in April, is only the seventh-longest tenured player on the whole squad. That’s not just a little turnover, that’s a massive, full-blown roster churn happening in Buffalo these past few months. What a shift!
So what does this all mean for the Bills? This isn’t just a few new faces; it’s a massive roster churn that screams “new era” loud and clear. With Oliver leading the defensive charge as the most seasoned guy on that side of the ball, and so many other familiar names gone, it’s a whole new vibe. How this re-shuffled squad, with a veteran core still finding its footing amidst so much change, performs in their Week 1 opener with Joe Brady now at the helm? That’s the million-dollar question, and frankly, I can’t wait to see if this fresh look pays off on the field!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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