While the Buffalo Bills had to suffer through some fairly difficult subtractions in the 2024 offseason, the presence of stars like Josh Allen on offense and Matt Milano in defense has the club in position to once again compete for an AFC East division title. Unfortunately, Milano is once again struggling to stay healthy.
Adam Schefter has confirmed that Milano's bicep injury is severe enough to keep him out for the majority of the regular season. If he is ever going to suit up, he will have to wait until December. This is a catastrophic injury for a Bills defense, as they have now lost Milano to injury for the second season in a row.
To take an optimistic point of view, Milano's injury could create an opportunity for a hungry backup with a "next man up" mentality to slide right into a starting role. The leading candidate for such a bump in responsibility is former third-round pick Dorian Williams.
While Williams won't replace the former All-Pro linebacker wholly, he will have an opportunity to move in beside Terrell Bernard in the starting lineup and become an impactful playmaker. If Williams has improved, the Milano injury could sting less.
Buffalo’s 2023 third-round pick, LB Dorian Williams, now will be counted on even more to try to help replace the injured Matt Milano. https://t.co/UsaLe2x2P9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2024
Dorian Williams will be extremely important for Bills in 2024 after Matt Milano injury
While Williams was an excellent special teamer last season, the No. 91 overall pick in 2023 and Tulane alum only suited up for 20% of Buffalo's defensive snaps. Still, in that role, he managed to tally 40 tackles, two quarterback hits, and a pass breakup.
Oddly enough, Williams and Milano profile as similar players. While both are undersized and can have trouble sifting through the muck at the line of scrimmage, they are both exceptional athletes with great speed and the ability to quickly recognize where a play is going.
2022 seventh-rounder Baylon Specter, fifth-round rookie Edefuan Ulofoshio, and veteran Deion Jones may all be counted on to replace Milano as he works his way back to full health. With dates against Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Aaron Rodgers coming up in the first few months, Williams and the rest of this group will need to hit the ground running.
While it's hard to spin the Milano injury as anything other than a crushing blow to the infrastructure of this team, it will create an opportunity for the Bills' player development to be tested once again. Is Williams up to the task?