EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second story in a series of previewing Buffalo Bills position groups ahead of training camp.
On paper, the Buffalo Bills have two linebackers who rank among the best tandems in the NFL.
On paper.
Terrel Bernard became the unquestioned leader of the defense last season after joining Josh Allen as one of two captains. The Bills backed it up by giving him a four-year, $42 million contract extension during the offseason.
Matt Milano restructured his contract during the offseason so that he’s entering the final year of his contract. But Milano is set to turn 31 on July 28 and he hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year in 2017.
Milano returned from a torn pectoral to play four games late last year, a season after a broken leg ended his year five games in. The question surrounding the Bills linebackers is whether Milano can return to All-Pro form from 2022 and whether he can remain healthy for the duration of the season.
Bernard faces similar concerns after missing 2 ½ games with a pectoral strain and dealing with an ankle injury later in the season. That came after his 2023 season ended prematurely with an ankle injury and missed most of that preseason with a hamstring pull.
Since Bernard became the starter at middle linebacker in 2023, he and Milano have truly played just eight regular-season games together. The pair was solid together to start 2023, but Milano had to play himself back into shape last year and it was hard to gauge his progress.
Milano was much better in the playoffs than the regular season, totaling 17 tackles and two sacks in three games. But the Bills will need him to be that player all season if the defense is going to take a step forward.
“We’re all trying to establish our roles and who we’re going to be leading up to the season,” Bernard said. “It’s a challenge every single year to get as close as we can. We were a super close team last year and that’s our goal — to build on that all the way throughout the season.”
Stone-cold truth
The reality is that Milano returning to his old self is completely rooted in hope. It’s rare but not impossible for a player over 30 to bounce back from two significant injuries, but Milano has never been a player reliable enough to complete a full season.
Buffalo needs to bank on having to play without Bernard or Milano for stretches this season while also starting to contemplate life without Milano in 2026. However, there doesn’t seem to be a candidate to steal snaps from Milano this season, barring injury.
“He can still play,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said in March. “He’s working hard. And it definitely does not mean that this is Matt Milano’s last year in Buffalo by any means. We’ll take it one year at a time. We’ll play this out. And I know that’s where he’s at, but I hope he has a heck of a year, and I hope we’re able to sign him again and keep him here for the future.”
Third-year linebacker Dorian Williams may play himself into being Milano’s successor, but he still hasn’t shown it yet. Tyrel Dodson quickly replaced Williams as Milano’s replacement in 2023, but showed growth last season.
He had a team-high 117 tackles in 11 starts, but struggled in pass coverage and his play wasn’t enough to prevent Milano from immediately regaining his starting job.
The Bills signed veteran Shaq Thompson, but he’s also coming off consecutive season-ending injuries and shouldn’t be relied upon to take a starter’s workload after missing all but six games the last two seasons.
Training camp battle
Joe Andreessen is no longer a Cinderella story and seems to have a stranglehold on a roster spot heading into training camp. Andreessen may have leapfrogged Baylon Spector on the depth chart and could see meaningful playing time if Bernard were to go down with an injury.
Spector’s main issue is that he can’t stay healthy. He rehabbed old injuries during the spring and has missed 14 regular-season games with injuries over the last two seasons, finishing both years on injured reserve.
When he’s on the field, Spector has shown he’s a quality backup who can start in a pinch. But recurring calf injuries may have him on the bubble when training camp begins.
Andreessen, Bernard, Milano and Williams should have spots sewn up. Thompson was still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in the spring, so it’s unclear if his role is a veteran depth piece or a veteran on the practice squad.
But as training camp begins, Spector seems to be battling 2024 fifth-round pick Edefuan Ulofoshio for the last spot. Ulofoshio battled injuries during college at Washington and then injured his ribs on the first day of contact during last year’s training camp.
Ulofoshio never truly recovered from that injury on the depth chart and was active for only four games as a rookie. Unless Thompson can’t bounce back or an injury crops up, Ulofoshio may be fighting for a job early in his career.