Bills LB Matt Milano out 'indefinitely' with bicep tear

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano is set to miss the next several months with a bicep injury.

Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano is set to be out "indefinitely" with a torn bicep, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Cover 1 first reported the news on Thursday morning.

ESPN sources: Bills Pro-Bowl linebacker Matt Milano, who left Tuesday’s practice injured, tore his bicep and now will be out indefinitely. Milano will undergo surgery on his torn bicep with the hope of trying to return later this season, possibly in December. pic.twitter.com/hQDauRequk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2024

He picked up the ailment during positional drills at Tuesday’s practice; he landed awkwardly on his left arm and did not return to the session.

Former All-Pro LB Matt Milano exited positional drills during #Bills Tuesday practice due to an apparent left arm injury. Athletic trainers spent time looking at his bicep/elbow area, Milano tested the injury a bit but did not return #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/I0sDoWLzDK

— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) August 13, 2024

Milano’s health has been a question mark throughout his seven-year career; he’s missed at least one game due to injury in all but one of his campaigns, most recently missing the majority of the 2023 season after suffering a tibia fracture in a Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. McDermott had been complimentary of his rehabilitation efforts throughout the offseason and training camp, expressing excitement for getting him back on the field.

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Milano has been one of Buffalo’s most consistently impactful defenders (when healthy) since ascending to a starting role midway through his 2017 rookie campaign; he’s tallied 488 total tackles, 39 pass deflections, and 10 interceptions as a professional, this stat line a testament to his seemingly innate nose for the football. Long one of the NFL’s more underrated defenders, Milano had started to earn national recognition for his excellence before his most recent string of injuries, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods in the 2022 season.

The Buffalo faithful had been eager to watch Milano again take the field and consistently play alongside Terrel Bernard, a linebacker with a similar style of play who broke out in the 2023 campaign—they’ll now have to wait a bit longer. The next man up at linebacker appears to be second-year defender Dorian Williams, whom the team selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Rookie Edefuan Ulofoshio is behind the sophomore on the depth chart, but he’s missed the vast majority of summer workouts with an injury.

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