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Bills HC Sean McDermott offers update on LB Matt Milano's Week 13 status

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott offered an update on linebacker Matt Milano's Week 13 status on Friday.

Kyle Silagyi

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is still unsure whether former All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano will be available for his team’s Week 13 clash with the San Francisco 49ers. He stated that the veteran defender, who has spent the first 12 weeks of the 2024 campaign on injured reserve with a bicep tear, is questionable for this weekend’s game during a Friday morning appearance on the WGR550 radio station; that said, he did sound a bit optimistic regarding his status, stating that the team is simply taking the process one day at a time and is ensuring it’s checking all its boxes.

Milano has been a full participant in this week’s practices, his first full week of uncompromised sessions in over a year. The dynamic defender -- who, when healthy, is one of the league’s most impactful linebackers -- has not participated in a game since October 8, 2023, when he suffered a tibia fracture in Buffalo’s Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recovered throughout the rest of the campaign before returning in training camp, only to suffer a bicep tear in mid-August.

Related: Bills vs. 49ers weather report: A foot of snow possible for Week 13 clash

Buffalo’s brass long expressed optimism that Milano would return this season, and that hope proved fruitful earlier this month when the team opened his 21-day practice window. Though whether he returns against San Francisco remains to be seen, his participation in this week’s practices is an encouraging sign.

It’s been over a year since fans have seen Milano take part in game action, so it’s perhaps easy to forget just how dynamic of a defender the former Pro Bowler is when available; he’s tallied 488 tackles, 39 pass deflections, and 10 interceptions throughout his seven professional seasons, this stat line a testament to his seemingly innate nose for the football. Milano will replace sophomore Dorian Williams in the starting lineup upon his ultimate return, though McDermott has recently stated that the veteran will be on an initial pitch count. If the team does not promote Milano to the active roster ahead of Week 13, it has until December 4 to do so.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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