The Buffalo Bills have invested a ton of money and resources into their defense this offseason. After a rough showing against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, Brandon Beane and the rest of the front office made it a priority to fix the defense so it could slow down the top offenses in the NFL.
The hope is that the additions of Joey Bosa, Maxwell Hairston, Landon Jackson, and T.J. Sanders (among others) will be enough to get this defense back to playing at an elite level. However, one position remains somewhat of a mystery, and that is the linebacker spot.
Matt Milano was an All-Pro selection during the 2022 season and was arguably the best linebacker in the league. But since then, he’s played a total of nine regular-season games and has looked like a shell of himself. Injuries have really caught up to him, and he’ll enter his age-31 season in 2025.
The Bills are a different defense with Milano on the field, but his age and injury history have made it hard to rely on him. And while Buffalo did sign veteran Shaq Thompson this offseason to help improve their depth, the linebacker position is one that could need a major overhaul next offseason.
In a recent article by Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about one position of need every team should consider addressing early in the 2026 NFL Draft. For the Bills, that position was none other than linebacker. Here is what Sikkema had to say about Milano and the future of the linebacker position in Buffalo:
"Milano is entering the final year of his contract, though there are two void years attached that the Bills could convert if he wants to keep playing. But if this is his last year in Buffalo, how does the team feel about the rest of the linebacker group? Terrel Bernard struggled last season on his way to a 48.2 PFF overall grade, ranking 83rd among 90 linebackers, but the Bills signed him to a four-year extension this offseason, so he’s not going anywhere.Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus
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There is no doubt that there is a lot of uncertainty right now regarding the linebacker position for the Bills going into the season. The hope, as always, is that Milano can stay healthy and return to the form we saw him play at a very long time ago. But at this stage of his career, that’s asking too much of him.
If Williams and/or Bernard don’t take a massive step forward during the 2025 season, you can bank on the Bills addressing the linebacker position early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Bernard isn’t going anywhere, as Sikkema mentioned, but they’ll need someone to fill for Milano next to him.
Buffalo has a lot of depth on defense, especially on their defensive line heading into the upcoming season. But if there is one spot that could be their Achilles’ heel, it might be the linebacker position. Here's hoping that Milano can stay healthy and that Bernard can return to playing at a high level. Because if neither of those things happens, it’s hard to imagine the defense being good enough to win games in the postseason.