Bills’ star linebacker duo excluded from Top 10 off-season LB unit rankings

The Buffalo Bills suffered a major blow last season when they lost reigning All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano in a Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo, fortunately, had a rising star in Terrel Bernard, who in his second season totaled 143 tackles, 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions. It was an unexpected campaign for the former Baylor Bear, a truly breakout season in which he quickly made the Western New York faithful forget about Tremaine Edmunds.

Heading into the 2024 season with two healthy linebackers and another promising defender in Dorian Williams (who showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season), the Bills’ linebacking unit should be ranked pretty high in the preseason rankings… right? Well, the good folks at PFF — who are continuing their run of ranking every position group ahead of the new season — have the Bills’ linebackers as the 11th-best unit in the NFL.

Here’s what PFF’s Gordon McGuinness has to say about the Bills’ linebacker unit: “Milan was one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL in 2022, earning an 83.2 PFF coverage grade. Alongside him, Terrel Bernard proved to be a solid starter in his second NFL season, producing a PFF grade of 65.9 on 1,031 snaps.

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The Bills are gifted at the position; Milan, when healthy, is one of the league’s best coverage linebackers, throwing two interceptions and two assists in just four games last season. Bernard, his running mate, matches that with his incredible ability to be around the ball at opportune times, whether it’s breaking up passes, jumping on loose balls or making big tackles at the point of attack.

And it’s that idea that makes the unit’s placement seem pretty low — Milano is clearly one of the most impactful defenders in the league, and Bernard’s presence was more than felt in his absence last season. Buffalo’s linebacking corps consists of an All-Pro talent and a player who, had he been a more established name heading into the 2023 season, likely would have been considered an All-Pro; and this unit isn’t even in the Top 10?

All things considered, if the Bills’ linebacker duo can stay healthy, they will likely far surpass this ranking. Additionally, PFF may not be the most reliable voice in Buffalo linebacker discussions; the outlet recently ranked Milano as the fourth-best linebacker in football, but did not include Bernard in its top 32. Tyrel Dodson, a… GOOD The linebacker the Bills let go as a free agent this offseason came in at No. 22.

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