Where do the Bills turn after Matt Milano's recent serious injury? | Sport

The Buffalo Bills suffered a major blow when they announced that All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano would undergo surgery for a torn biceps.

Milano injured his left arm during individual drills on Tuesday when he hit a tackling bag. He did a push-up to test the arm but kept his protective gear and did not participate in any team drills.

This is the second consecutive year that Milano has suffered a major injury. Last year, he missed the final 12 games after suffering a right leg injury in a Week 5 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Milano, 30, has not played a full season since his rookie year in 2017.

Milano is under contract through 2026 and has a salary cap hit of $12.437 million this year. Over the next two seasons, his salary cap hits are $16.122 million and $16.147 million, respectively.

“It's an unfortunate situation,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Matt is a strong young man. I know he's going to get through this. It's certainly tough when you've had the year he's had. … He's resilient, we've got to be resilient, we've got to look forward and focus on solutions.”

According to Washington University Orthopedics, recovery from a complete bicep tear typically takes six months. Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon suffered a torn bicep in Week 4 at the New England Patriots last year and was cleared to play in December, but was sidelined for the rest of the year as the team finished 4-13.

If the Bills place Milano on the injured list before the final cutdown date, he will be unable to play for the remainder of the season. That means the Bills will have to release another player if they decide to bolster their linebacker depth before the start of the year.

Williams is given the right to replace

The first option to replace Milano is second-year linebacker Dorian Williams, who started in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears since Milano was unable to play due to his leg rehabilitation. Williams had a rocky start to the game, playing the first half, but had some bright spots as the game went on.

Williams was the first player benched when Milano went down last season, but was quickly replaced by veteran Tyrel Dodson, now with the Seattle Seahawks. Williams is still learning Buffalo's defensive scheme and adjusting to the NFL. He consistently performed well in casual games last year, but made enough mistakes to remain on the bench.

Throughout this year's training camp, Williams has consistently been the team's No. 3 linebacker and Milano's primary backup at weakside linebacker. McDermott said Tuesday he has seen “growth” in Williams this year.

“Dorian is going to do a good job,” McDermott said. “He's made progress and it's time not only for him to step up, but for all of his teammates around him. … You can never replace a player like Matt or Matt's influence, but now is the time for a team to move forward with resilience and it's the time for guys like Dorian to step up.”

Spector could be a factor, but injury luck strikes again

Another option for the Bills is third-year pro Baylon Spector, who was a backup middle linebacker in training camp but played primarily on the weak side during his college career at Clemson.

Spector has practiced at both positions since the Bills drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, but his main issue has been staying healthy. Last year, a hamstring injury landed him on the injured list for the first six games and then quickly re-injured him, causing him to miss two more games.

With the Bills weakened at linebacker, Spector started in the AFC wild-card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but suffered a broken back while recovering a fumble. McDermott announced Wednesday that Spector is suffering from a calf injury and will be out for about a week.

The Bills signed veteran Nicholas Morrow in the offseason. Morrow has made 58 career starts, including 12 with the Eagles last year, but he missed most of the last two weeks with a groin injury and also missed some time during minicamp with an injury.

Deion Jones, a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, is on the roster but has been relegated to the third line of defense. Injuries have limited Jones to eight starts over the past two years.