Matt Milano missed time earlier this season but returned to play in Buffalo’s previous two games. However, he will be shelved for at least the Bills’ next three.
The Bills placed the fourth-year linebacker on IR Saturday. They had declared Milano out for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks due to a pectoral injury. He did not practice this week.
This is concerning for the Bills due to Milano’s initial injury absences — in Weeks 3 and 4 — coming because of a pec injury. Since returning, Milano has played a part-time role, coming off the bench and playing less than a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.
A Bills starter since his rookie year, the former fifth-round pick engaged in extension talks with the team this offseason. Milano, who made 101 tackles last season, has been a quality coverage linebacker for a team that has featured a top-tier pass defense. The Bills’ defense has regressed in his abbreviated season; DVOA places the team’s pass defense 22nd after top-five finishes in 2018 and ’19.
The Bills wrapped up extensions for fellow 2017 draftees Tre’Davious White and Dion Dawkins, leaving Milano in limbo. That raises the stakes for the remainder of his season, should he return from what appears to be a setback.