The Buffalo Bills are in the midst of one of the best stretches of play in franchise history, riding high on six consecutive winning seasons and postseason appearances.
One of the best players for the Bills during that stretch, when available, has been Matt Milano. Milano has dealt with injury concerns over the past two seasons, playing in just nine games between 2023 and 2024.
The Bills had the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked defenses in scoring during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, respectively. It's no coincidence that those were also the two best seasons of Milano's NFL career.
Milano had 86 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries in 2021. In 2022, Milano earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors, racking up 99 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
His inability to remain on the field has cost the Bills in big ways over the past two seasons. He is fully healthy entering 2025, and the hope is that Milano can return to All-Pro form for a Bills team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Pro Football Focus' Zoltan Buday wrote about the seven veterans who are primed for bounce-back seasons in 2025. Milano was one of seven players listed after playing just 544 snaps over the past two seasons. Buday is optimistic that he can return to Pro Bowl form this season.
"(Milano) appeared in seven games last season and reminded fans of his potential with a standout performance in the wild-card round against the Broncos, earning an 86.3 PFF grade." Buday wrote. "Milano recorded PFF overall grades below 45.0 in three of his seven appearances, including a rough showing in the AFC championship game against Kansas City. For context, he had just two such games across 17 outings in 2022. Despite these post-injury struggles, Milano, who just turned 30, remains capable of playing at a high level. Before the injuries, he was widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top linebackers."
Obviously, injuries are the major concern for Milano. If Milano can stay on the field and isn't missing a step, there aren't many linebackers who can match his production.