The Buffalo Bills' defense entered the offseason with multiple needs in the secondary as well as along the defensive line.
There's one position on defense, however, that Bills' general manager Brandon Beane didn't have to pay much attention from the start, in part because of a former All-Pro's late-season re-emergence.
Even before locking up team captain Terrel Bernard on a long-term contract extension, the Bills were slated to return the three key pieces from their 2024 linebacking corps. Bernard and veteran Matt Milano would again start alongside one another while 2023 third-round draft pick Dorian Williams provides top-tier backup ability.
It's the Milano piece that was once an uncertainty. After suffering a 2023 season-ending leg injury in London, Milano was working his way back in 2024 training camp until tearing a biceps tendon during a practice drill. He fought his way back onto the field by Week 13 and looked like his old self once the postseason kicked off.
“My heart aches for Matt, because, coming off the year he had the year prior, misses all that time. Goes into camp, we're at Pittsburgh, and he strains his deal there. Then, he's out another X amount of weeks or month," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott four days after the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Milano looked like a heat-seeking missile at times during that AFC Championship Game, coming up with a key third-down sack and totaling 8 solo tackles. He accounted for 17 total tackles and five quarterback hits over three postseason starts.
"There's a real mental component to that also, of him being able to get himself back mentally, that, hey, I can still do this, and I can still do it, not just do it, but do it at a high level like Matt Milano used to do it," said McDermott. "I applaud him for his mental ability and his ability to push through overall, until he found a rhythm that I think he said, hey, you know what, I can do this, and you saw that at moments. Not as consistent as he once was, but going into the offseason now not needing another surgery, or not having to rehab, will be important for him.”
With Milano proving to be reliable during the playoffs, the Bills were able to pencil him in for 2025 and focus their attention on adding defensive linemen Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht. The Bills also signed former Washington Commanders starting safety Darrick Forrest.
Milano also helped the team on the salary cap front, shortening his contract and taking a pay cut although he can reportedly earn most of the money back through incentives.
With the 30-year-old Milano back the mix alongside Bernard, and the capable Williams backing up, the heart of the linebacking corps remains intact and ready to run it back.
