Matt Milano is the only Buffalo Bills’ linebacker to make PFF list of top LBs
Since 2018, the Buffalo Bills have had the same starting linebackers and over the years it has typically been Tremaine Edmunds’ name that has been brought up first when discussing the position. He has had over 100 total tackles each season in the league and made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020.
However, he appears to have been passed by his teammate as Matt Milano was the only linebacker on the team to make Pro Football Focus’ recent rankings of linebackers in the NFL.
In fact, Milano was ranked as high as 10th in a tier titled “Best of the Rest” and was in a group that included Alexander Johnson, Zach Cunningham, and Shaq Thompson.
"Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Milano has put up outstanding PFF grades in both coverage and against the run but has struggled to put it all together over one season."
Last year was certainly one of Milano’s best as he started making more plays at the line of scrimmage while maintaining his excellent play in pass coverage. He had a career high in tackles for a loss with 15 while also adding three sacks and six QB hits.
The Bills signing Milano to a long-term deal last offseason when he was a free agent is looking more and more like a great move by the front office.
Buffalo Bills’ linebacker Tremaine Edmunds should have still made the PFF list
While Milano might have surpassed Edmunds within the organization as the best linebacker, the idea that Edmunds is not among the Top 32 linebackers in the NFL is a little surprising.
This past season Edmunds continued to struggle to make those impact plays, that Leslie Frazier talked about before the season, but he was still a steady linebacker for this defense. When looking at the list put together by Sam Monson, Edmunds should have been ahead of players like Kyle Van Noy, who has been cut each of the past two offseasons and is set to play for his third different franchise.
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Other linebackers that were surprisingly added ahead of Edmunds included Kyzir White, Jamie Collins and Myles Jack. Tremaine Edmunds is entering the final year of his rookie contract and this season will be a big year for him as he will look for a new contract in free agency, either with Buffalo or somewhere else.