The cavalry may be coming for the Buffalo Bills as Matt Milano appears to be on the verge of returning to the lineup. On Monday, the team announced that they will be opening the 21-day practice window for the All-Pro linebacker who has been on the Injured Reserve list since tearing his bicep in August during training camp. WGR’s Sal Capaccio confirmed the details of the timeline, which was complicated by the Bills upcoming bye week:
The bye week counts. The Bills have until Dec.4 (assuming transaction becomes official before practice this Wednesday) to activate Milano. They play the 49ers on Sunday night, Dec. 1 https://t.co/YbulEMGIQF
— Sal Capaccio 🏈 (@SalSports) November 11, 2024
If Milano does not progress as the team seems to expect and cannot be elevated to the active roster by December 4, he will have to be relegated to the IR for the remainder of the season and therefore miss the entire 2024 campaign after sitting out most of last year as well. The 30-year-old Floridian was injured last October during the Bills’ deflating Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and has not suited up since.
The Bills Have Found a Way
The loss of Matt Milano for the majority of the past two seasons is easy to overlook for those who are not plugged into the team because of the success they have enjoyed without him. Since he went down in jolly old England, the Bills are 16-7 in the regular season and won a playoff game before the seemingly invincible Kansas City Chiefs came to town and broke the hearts of the Mafia in the AFC Divisional round.
That 27-24 nailbiter in January illustrated the importance of having top defenders patrolling the center of the field against Patrick Mahomes, as both Milano and Terrel Bernard were absent and backups A.J. Klein and Tyrel Dodson couldn’t quite get the job done. This year’s fill-in linebacker, Dorian Williams, has been impressive next to the outstanding Bernard, but the potential return of a healthy Milano will provide an inarguable boost at the position.
Even without their studly linebacker, the Bills have managed to maintain their elite status so far this season and even stay at least in the middle of the pack in most defensive categories. Sean McDermott’s squad presently ranks 22nd in yards against, 9th in points against, 16th in yards per play, 3rd in turnovers, and 21st in first downs against. Adding Milano to this bunch should improve those numbers and hopefully give the Bills a shot to finally get over the hump in the playoffs. The hump, of course, being the Chiefs.
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