Bills organization mourns with Ed Oliver after family loses 2-year-old son to drowning

Against the backdrop of a preseason weekend, the Buffalo Bills and the wider Western New York community that has long treated the franchise as family found themselves focused on something far removed from football on Saturday. Defensive lineman Ed Oliver, who has anchored the interior of the Bills' defensive line since arriving as a first-round pick in 2019, has been grieving the death of his 2-year-old son for the past two months. The boy died in a drowning accident at the family's ranch near Houston in June. The loss became public Saturday through social media, and the organization responded the same day.

General manager Brandon Beane released a statement on behalf of the entire Bills organization, calling the loss an unthinkable tragedy for any parent and pledging continued support for Oliver and his family. That language, "continue to support," reflects two months of quietly carrying this before the situation entered public view.

Oliver did not travel to Cleveland for Saturday's preseason game against the Browns. He has also been managing an unspecified injury that kept him off the practice field in recent days, though the Bills noted the injury has not stopped him from being present with the team.

Over six seasons in Buffalo, Oliver became one of the more consistent pieces of the Bills' run defense and has totaled 30 sacks. The organization's statement made clear those figures belong to a different conversation right now.

No further details about the accident are publicly known. Oliver and his family, per a source, are asking for privacy and prayers.