Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano suffered another heartbreaking injury.
Coach Sean McDermott confirmed that the Pro Bowler tore his bicep during Tuesday’s practice and will undergo surgery that will put him on the shelf indefinitely.
The coach outlined the injury as an “unfortunate situation,” noting that it occurred during a routine bag tackling drill.
“Matt’s a strong, young man,” McDermott said. “I know he’s gonna handle this. It’s certainly tough, especially coming off the year he came off of already. The good thing is he’s got a good family behind him that’s gonna support him, teammates that are gonna support him, as well as the coaching staff and our entire football organization. …
“He’s resilient, and we’ve got to be resilient. We’ve got to move forward and be focused on solutions.”
McDermott said it is too early to determine whether Milano would be able to return to the field with his teammates in 2024.
Given the severity and typical timeline for bicep tears, December would likely be the earliest, if at all, the linebacker could return for a potential playoff run.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt marks the second consecutive season Milano has been sidelined by injury. The 30-year-old linebacker fractured his leg in Week 5 last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London England as part of the NFL’s overseas series, missing the rest of the campaign. Since cracking the lineup and becoming a full-time starter in his second season (2018), Milano has not played a full schedule of regular season games.
The training camp injury is a significant and brutal blow to the Bills, who were depending on the linebacker to bounce back and lead a revamped defense that said goodbye to several of its core veterans this offseason including safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Last season, McDermott’s defense was not as ferocious and simply did not answer the call after Milano went down. Now, they will be in a tough spot and have to count on second-year linebacker Dorian Williams to help replace the gaping hole left by the former All-Pro.
In 2021 and 2022, Milano registered over 86 tackles in each season and over 12 tackles for loss. He also recorded 11 passes defensed in 2022 and five interceptions over the last two seasons.
The Bills signed Milano to a two-year extension in March 2023, connecting him with the organization through the 2026 season. Since that time, he has suffered two major injuries. Milano’s struggles to stay healthy and on the field makes some fans and reporters alike recall former Cowboys star Sean Lee, another intimidating and elite linebacker whose career was cut short by a multitude of injuries. The hope is that Milano can find a way to shake off the injury bug and finish out his career on the field.
