Bills LB Matt Milano was a full participant in Wednesday's practice to open training camp. HC Sean McDermott said early in spring that he didn't expect Milano to join offseason practices. But the veteran LB got into positional drills in the team's June minicamp.
GM Brandon Beane after practice: “This was probably as good as we could’ve hoped that he would be starting camp. We’ve got to be smart. He’s a competitor. He’s going to want to practice every day, but I don’t think that’s realistic. But it’s good to see him out there.”
I expected Buffalo to ease Milano back in. Full participation on Day 1 indicates that the veteran's just about ready to go.
Beane's "we've got to be smart" means we'll need to watch when Milano sits out practices this summer. If they're simply rest days, no issue. Any leg issues, however, we'll require review.
Milano has lost time to injuries in each of his six seasons as a full-time starter. So durability risk remains.
Milano's return shouldn't hurt Terrel Bernard, who played 100% of Buffalo's snaps in three of the five games he shared with Milano last season.
Dorian Williams and Nicholas Morrow, on the other hand, looked like the top two candidates to get opportunities if Milano sat out. They're both forgettable 2024 assets at this point.
I've given Milano a big boost up our IDP rankings after starting him very conservatively. I'll still easily take Bernard first, given Milano's injury history.
Milano suffered a "plateau fracture" to his right tibia in Week 5 last year, ending his season. He avoided damage to the knee ligaments, though, which clearly helped his recovery timeline.
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