90 Buffalo Bills players in 90 days: LB Matt Milano

The Buffalo Bills were missing one of their best defensive players for the majority of the last two seasons. After this linebacker earned his first All-Pro nod in 2022, it’s been tough sledding, as he’s dealt with multiple serious injuries that derailed his 2023 and 2024 seasons.

While that obviously wasn’t ideal for the player, there is a silver lining for the team. That All-Pro’s backup earned valuable experience over the past two seasons, and he actually led the team in tackles in 2024. That’s despite the fact that the All-Pro returned to start four of Buffalo’s final six games last season.

In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a 2022 All-Pro linebacker looking to make the most of the last year of his contract with the Bills.

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Name: Matt Milano
Number: 58
Position: LB
Height/Weight: 6’ 223 lbs.
Age: 30 (31 on 3/17/2026)
Experience/Draft: 9; selected by Buffalo in the fifth round (No. 163 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft
College: Boston College
Acquired: Fifth-round draft choice

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Milano and the Bills agreed to rip up the final year of his two-year extension that he signed before the 2023 regular season, so the 2025 season is now his last year under contract. For the 2025 season, Milano carries a cap hit of $12,188,500 if he makes the roster. The dead-cap charge associated with the deal, which totals $22.893 million, makes his place on the roster a given.

2024 Recap: Milano was working back from a broken leg that caused him to miss most of the 2023 season, and it looked like he was on pace to start the season with the club. At worst, there was some thought that he’d begin the year on Injured Reserve and be back for their seventh game. However, on August 15, he tore his biceps, further slowing his return to the team.

Milano missed all but four games, as he did not return until a snowy contest with the San Francisco 49ers on December 1. He was inactive due to a groin injury when the Bills played the New England Patriots for the first time on December 22, and then he did not play in the season finale against those same Patriots on January 5.

Frankly, in Milano’s four games, he was not good. He was tied for third on the team in missed tackles with eight on the season, which is amazing given that he only played in four games. There were legitimate calls for Dorian Williams, who started in Milano’s place while he recovered from injury, to reclaim that role entering the playoffs.

But then, the playoffs happened. Milano returned to form in a big way in the postseason, totaling a team-high 17 tackles in those games. While he was still second on the club in missed tackles, he missed just two in those games. For the season, Milano had 16 tackles, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss. In the playoffs, he had 17 tackles, two sacks, five quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss.

Positional outlook: Milano is one of eight linebackers on the current roster. Keonta Jenkins, Joe Andreessen, Shaq Thompson, Dorian Williams, Terrel Bernard, Edefuan Ulofoshio, and Jimmy Ciarlo are the others.

2025 Offseason: Milano has looked more like a former All-Pro and less like the shell of himself that he was at the end of last season during training camp. Reports indicate that he looks strong and fast, and he’s had plenty of early success. He had three tackles in limited action in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.

2025 Season outlook: Given all that Milano had to endure to make his way back to playing in real games last season, it makes perfect sense that he was rusty in his initial play. He was injured on October 8, 2023, and he did not play again in a real game until December 1, 2024. That’s an incredibly long time to go without playing a position where your best strength is your ability to read plays and react fast. Add in that he had to wear a huge contraption on his injured arm, and it’s understandable why he wasn’t at his best. The concern wasn’t that Milano was an overall downgrade from Williams, but more that Williams was the better player at that moment given all that had transpired.

I don’t have those concerns now. With a full offseason under his belt, it’s a relief to hear (and see with his performance against the Giants) that he’s back to form. A rejuvenated Milano can only be a positive for the Bills, who now boast three battle-tested linebackers and another who continues to take big steps forward in Joe Andreessen. Just because the Bills and Milano agreed to rip up the final year of his contract doesn’t necessarily mean that the two sides can’t agree on something that keeps the 2017 fifth-round pick with the Bills next year, but given Williams’ success last year, this does have the feel of a “last dance” between No. 58 and the Bills. Either way, it looks like Milano is back in a big way heading into the 2025 season.