There is a huge argument that besides Josh Allen, linebacker Matt Milano has been the best player for the Buffalo Bills since Sean McDermott arrived in Buffalo. He was a fifth-round draft pick out of Boston College and was an absolute steal. He made an immediate impact in his rookie season that helped him earn a starting role in McDermott’s defense moving forward. One of the very few downs to Milano’s game is staying healthy. He has never played a full season due to injuries. Just last season, he played in only five games before suffering a lower leg injury that sidelined him the entire season.
Aside from last year, Milano’s presence is always felt for the defense and overall, the unit plays well when he is in the middle of it. In his career, he has racked up 488 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, 10 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 9 fumble recoveries. For a fifth-round pick, that is beyond great production.
Milano has had only Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier calling the plays for the defense in his career. Now he will have Bobby Babich, who has been with the Bills since 2017 working with the secondary up until 2022 when he was assigned to work with the linebackers and was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator this past offseason.
Babich is well-respected in the locker room in Buffalo by the players and coaches so it’s no surprise that he will be the one calling the plays for the defense. This is great news for Milano because Babich was the linebackers coach in 2022 when Milano earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl and was named as a First-Team All-Pro player.
As long as Milano can get back to his old form under Babich, there is no doubt that he will once again be an impactful player in the league. It took years for Milano to be recognized at an elite level and now everyone knows who he is. The soon to be 30-year-old has not regressed in his game and 2024 should be no different, just as long as he can avoid the injury bug.