What Bills HC said about LB Matt Milano after opening 21-day practice window

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke about linebacker Matt Milano after opening his 21-day practice window on Monday.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott kicked off his Monday media availability with a perhaps unexpected announcement, telling reporters that the team was set to activate the 21-day practice window for former All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano. The maneuver allows the veteran defender, who has spent the first ten weeks of the season on injured reserve, to return to practice and reacclimate himself with the defense before ultimately being activated to the 53-man unit; Buffalo has until December 4 to re-activate the 30-year-old.

McDermott has already ruled Milano out for the team’s Week 11 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he’s excited to once again see the linebacker on the field, stating that the opening of his practice window is a testament to the work that he and the Bills’ training staff have put in.

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“We’re going to take it one week at a time here,” McDermott said. “We’ll see how this week goes. Really where we’re at is, it’s been a while since he’s played football here. He’s done a phenomenal job, along with our trainers, of getting back to now where he can get back out there. Really just take it one day and one week at a time. Those guys are going to reassess towards the end of the week and see where he’s at and what the next week may hold for him.”

Milano tore his bicep during a mid-August training camp practice, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting at the time of the injury that Buffalo expected him to be out “indefinitely.” The team’s brass has long expressed optimism that Milano would be able to return at some point in the regular season, potentially in December; the opening of his practice window on Monday suggests that this is still the timeline the organization is sticking to internally.

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It’s been some time since Bills fans have seen Milano play live reps, as he also missed the vast majority of the 2023 campaign after suffering a tibia fracture in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. His prolonged absence has perhaps prompted some national pundits to forget how impactful of a player the former fifth-round pick is when available, but few linebackers are more consistently dynamic than a healthy Milano; he’s tallied 488 tackles, 39 pass deflections, and 10 interceptions as a professional, this stat line a testament to his seemingly innate nose for the football.

Sophomore defender Dorian Williams has filled in admirably in Milano’s absence, recording a team-high 93 tackles through 10 games. That said, Buffalo’s defense is demonstrably stronger with Milano in the lineup than it is without, and his ultimate return will be a welcomed boost.

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