Buffalo Bills keep Matt Milano, now need pass rush help
The Buffalo Bills signed linebacker Matt Milano on Thursday afternoon, but they still need to bolster their defense this offseason.
One move down, more to go.
On Thursday, Buffalo Bills general manager kept one of his own in house by signing linebacker Matt Milano to a four-year, $44 million deal with $24 million guaranteed. The contract comes only days before the NFL’s legal tampering period begins, followed by free agency opening on St. Patrick’s Day at 4 p.m. EST.
Milano, 26, is one of the league’s best linebackers both against the run and in coverage. Through his four years in Buffalo, the former Boston College star hasn’t made All-Pro or even a Pro Bowl. However, he remains one of the tougher assignments for offensive linemen trying to reach him on the second level.
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All told, Milano played in 13 games last year (including the postseason) and Buffalo was 12-1 in those affairs. They only lost the AFC Championship Game. He racked up 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks during the regular season, this after notching 101 tackles and 7 tackles for loss in ’19 when he played 15 regular-season tilts.
Now, with Milano and fellow young star Tremaine Edmunds anchoring the second level, the Bills must find more pass rush.
Last season, Buffalo’s biggest issue defensively was getting the the quarterback. Despite having a secondary which could cover for three and sometimes four seconds, Buffalo ranked a paltry 23rd in pressure rate during the regular season at 22.2 percent. The Bills did rank T-15th in sacks with 38, but much of that was leading for large chunks of games.
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With limited cap space, Beane needs to look beyond the big names of EDGE free agency such as Yannick Ngakoue and Trey Hendrickson in all likelihood, and focus on the second-tier.
Carl Lawson of the Cincinnati Bengals would make a ton of sense, as would Ngakoue’s teammate with the Baltimore Ravens, Matt Judon. If former Pittsburgh Steelers star Bud Dupree can’t command a huge sum after tearing his ACL, he’s also worth a nice deal along with Romeo Okwara of the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals’ Haason Reddick, among others.
After going 13-3, winning the AFC East and being victorious in two playoff games, Buffalo is now looking to take the next step and reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993. It starts in earnest with the arrival of free agency, and the top priority is getting to the quarterback.
