The Buffalo Bills were dealt a significant blow, announcing All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano needs surgery to repair a torn bicep.
Milano injured his left arm while hitting a tackling bag during individual drills Tuesday. He did a push-up to test the arm, but remained in pads and did not participate in any team drills.
This is the second year in a row Milano has suffered a serious injury, missing the final 12 games last year after a right leg injury in a Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Milano, 30, has not played a full season since his rookie year in 2017.
Milano is signed through 2026, holding a cap hit of $12.437 million this year. He has cap hits of $16.122 million and $16.147 million over the next two seasons, respectively.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Matt’s a strong young man. I know he’s going to handle this. It’s certainly tough coming off the year he came off of already. … He’s resilient, we’ve got to be resilient, we’ve got to move forward and focus on solutions.”
A complete bicep tear typically has a six-month recovery time, according to Washington University Orthopedics. Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon tore his biceps during Week 4 with the New England Patriots last year and was cleared to play in December, but was shelved for the remainder of the year as the team finished 4-13.
If the Bills place Milano on the injured reserve before the final cutdown date, he won’t be able to play for the remainder of the season. That means the Bills would have to release another player if they choose to add to their linebacker depth before the start of the year.
Williams gets first dibs as replacement
The first option to replace Milano is second-year linebacker Dorian Williams, who started against the Chicago Bears in the preseason opener as Milano was held out as part of his leg recovery process. Williams had a rocky start to the game, in which he played the first half, but had some bright spots as the game progressed.
Williams was the first player off the bench when Milano went down last season, but was quickly replaced by veteran Tyrel Dodson, who is now with the Seattle Seahawks. Still learning Buffalo’s defensive scheme and adjusting to the NFL, Williams showed flashes of stellar play in spot duty last year, but made enough mistakes to keep him on the bench.
During training camp this year, Williams has consistently been the team’s No. 3 linebacker and Milano’s primary backup at weakside linebacker. McDermott said Tuesday that he’s seen “growth” in Williams this year.
“Dorian’s going to do a good job,” McDermott said. “He’s been showing progress and it’s not only his time to step up, but all of his teammates around him to step up. … You’re never going to replace a player like Matt or Matt’s influence, but now it’s time for a team to move forward in a resilient manner and it’s time for guys like Dorian to step up.”
Spector could be factor, but injury bug bites again
Another option for the Bills is third-year pro Baylon Spector, who has been the backup middle linebacker during camp, but primarily played on the weak side during his college career at Clemson.
Spector has cross-trained at both spots since the Bills drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, but his main problem has been staying healthy. He landed on injured reserve for the first six games last year due to a hamstring injury and then quickly re-injured it, missing two more games.
With the Bills depleted at linebacker, Spector started against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC wild-card round, but suffered a broken back while recovering a fumble. McDermott announced Thursday that Spector was dealing with a calf injury and would miss about a week.
The Bills signed veteran Nicholas Morrow during the offseason. Morrow has 58 career starts, including 12 with the Eagles last year, but he has missed most of the last two weeks with a groin injury, while also missing time during minicamp with an injury.
Deion Jones, a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, is on the roster, but has been relegated to the third-string defense. Injuries have limited Jones to eight starts over the last two years.