All-Pro LB returns, key rookie WR out for Bills’ Week 13 bout vs. 49ers

Linebacker Matt Milano will return for the Buffalo Bills' Week 13 bout with the San Francisco 49ers, but wide receiver Keon Coleman is again inactive.

Kyle Silagyi | 3 Hours Ago

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Snowfall has made its… not so anticipated return to Highmark Stadium, and it’s set to be joined by one of the most dynamic defenders in football. The Buffalo Bills have released their inactives list ahead of their Week 13 Sunday Night Football clash with the San Francisco 49ers, but it’s the lack of a particular player that is perhaps the most encouraging takeaway. Wide receiver Keon Coleman, tight end Dalton Kincaid, cornerback Kaiir Elam, linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio, defensive end Javon Solomon, offensive lineman Will Clapp, and quarterback Mike White make up the inactives list, with former All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano being notably absent; the veteran is officially in line to play in his first football game in over a year.

It’s the first time since October 8, 2023, that Buffalo fans are set to see Milano, as he suffered a season-ending tibia fracture in Week 5 of the 2023 campaign. The impactful linebacker was sidelined throughout the rest of the season with that injury and made his return during this past summer’s training camp, progressing well in his re-acclimation to the defense before suffering a mid-August bicep tear that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. He spent the first 12 weeks of the 2024 season on injured reserve before being activated on Saturday, clearing the way for his return; though he’ll suit up against San Francisco, head coach Sean McDermott expects to keep him on a pitch count.

Coleman is the most notable name on the inactives list proper, as he’s set to miss his third consecutive game with a wrist injury he suffered in the Bills’ Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. He made his return to practice after Buffalo’s Week 12 bye and was a limited participant in this week’s sessions, with the rookie being designated as questionable on the team’s final injury report; the Bills have evidently opted to give him another week to further recover.

The rest of the inactives list is relatively unsurprising, as Kincaid’s absence (due to a knee injury) was announced earlier this week. Elam, Ulofoshio, and Clapp have all found themselves on the inactives list at points this year, and though Solomon is often active, it’s not as though the fifth-round rookie’s absence is a significant surprise. White was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, but with Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky healthy, he wasn’t expected to be active.

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