Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott has said a torn biceps suffered by Matt Milano while he was recovering from a leg injury will not “beat” the luckless linebacker.
Milano was restricted to five appearances for the NFL team last season and had been working towards a comeback when he suffered the new setback.
“This period in time right now has been tough for him – for all of us, but in particular for him and his family,” said McDermott, via ESPN, calling Milano’s predicament “unfortunate”.
“He knows all the work that he put in. No-one knows the work that Matt put in to get himself back to where he was before this recent injury.
“So that’s probably one of the harder… pills to swallow. Matt’s a strong young man. I know he’s going to handle this. It’s certainly tough, especially coming off of the year he came off of already.”
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Matt Milano: Bills return date uncertain
Milano will have surgery and hopes to return in December, the oulet said, adding that Dorian Williams, the Bills’ 2023 third-round pick, is set to start at outside linebacker alongside starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard.
30-year-old 2022 first-team All-Pro Milano exceeded 86 tackles in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, as well as recording more than 12 tackles for loss.
“The good thing is he’s got a good family behind him that are going to support him, team-mates that are going to support him as well, as the coaching staff and our entire football organisation,” observed McDermott.
“He’s resilient. We’ve got to be resilient. We’ve got to move forward and be focused on solutions. When you know the person, you know that this is not going to beat or keep Matt Milano down.”
Milano torn bicep leaves ‘void’
“It’s not just one person’s job to fill the void or try and fill the void left by Matt,” suggested McDermott. “You’re never going to replace a player like Matt or Matt’s influence.
“But now it’s time for our team to move forward in a resilient manner and pick each other up, and guys like Dorian have to step up.”
Boston College graduate Milano joined the Bills in 2017 and is under contract until 2026.
