The Buffalo Bills are making an important decision regarding the status of LB Matt Milano against the 49ers

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano is expected to play in his first football game in over a year.

The team activated the veteran linebacker from injured reserve on Saturday afternoon, and he is expected to play in Buffalo’s Week 13 primetime clash against the San Francisco 49ers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This will be Milano’s first game since October 8, 2023, an international match against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which the dynamic defender suffered a broken tibia.

Milano was sidelined for the remainder of the 2023 season due to this injury and returned in training camp last summer. He adjusted well to defense before suffering a torn biceps in mid-August that eventually landed him on injured reserve. Although it was initially expected that the illness would keep him “sidelined indefinitely,” Bills officials always remained optimistic that he could return at some point during the 2024 campaign, and that hope is now coming true.

Buffalo opened its 21-day training window before its Week 11 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, giving him the entire week to get back into the swing of things. He was fully involved in this week’s training and is therefore expected to play on Sunday evening. The Bills have only had 52 players on their active roster for a few weeks now, so a corresponding move other than activating Milano wasn’t necessary.

It’s been over a year since fans have seen Milano take part in the action, so it may be easy to forget how influential the former All-Pro is as a defenseman when he’s available; He has recorded 488 tackles, 39 pass deflections and 10 interceptions in his seven professional seasons, a statistic that is a testament to his seemingly innate feel for the football. Milano will replace sophomore Dorian Williams in the starting lineup upon his final return, although head coach Sean McDermott recently stated that the veteran will be on the field for the first time.

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