Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano suffered another significant injury.
Head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that the Pro Bowler tore his bicep during Tuesday’s practice and will undergo surgery that will put him out indefinitely.
The coach described the injury as an “unfortunate situation,” noting that it happened during a bag tackling drill.
"Matt's a strong, young man," McDermott said. "I know he's gonna handle this. It's certainly tough, especially coming off the year he came off of already. The good thing is he's got a good family behind him that's gonna support him, teammates that are gonna support him, as well as the coaching staff and our entire football organization. ...
"He's resilient, and we've got to be resilient. We've got to move forward and be focused on solutions."
McDermott said it’s too soon to know whether Milano would be able to return this season.
Given the typical timeline for bicep tears, December would likely be the earliest -- if at all -- the linebacker could return for a potential playoff run.
It marks the second straight season Milano has had sideswiped by injury. The 30-year-old linebacker fractured his leg in Week 5 last season, missing the rest of the campaign. Since becoming a full-time starter in his second season (2018), Milano has not played a full slate of regular season games.
The training camp injury is a brutal blow to the Bills, who were counting on the linebacker to bounce back and lead a revamped defense that parted ways with several of its core veterans this offseason. Last season, Sean McDermott’s defense simply wasn’t as effective after Milano went down. Now, they’ll count on second-year linebacker Dorian Williams to help replace the former All-Pro.
The Bills inked Milano to a two-year extension in March 2023. Since then, he’s suffered two significant injuries. Milano’s struggles to stay healthy call to mind former Cowboys star Sean Lee, another difference-making linebacker whose career was altered by perpetual injuries. The hope is that Milano can shake off the bad string and finish out his career on the field.