Bills linebacker Matt Milano ranked among league’s elite in NFL linebacker rankings by NFL executives

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano could plant a picturesque garden with all the proverbial flowers he’s received from the national media over the past few years; a new bouquet showed up on his doorstep Tuesday morning, as he was ranked as the league’s third-best off-ball linebacker in a positional ranking poll of NFL executives released by ESPN.

In the ongoing series, reporter Jeremy Fowler interviews NFL executives, coaches and scouts, asking them to rank the NFL’s top 10 players at each position. Buffalo hasn’t had substantial representation so far, with tight end Dalton Kincaid and quarterback Josh Allen the only players ranked at their respective positions. Milano is tied with Allen for the highest-ranked Bill at their position; Buffalo’s signal-caller also ranks third among quarterbacks.

League officials praised Milano for his playmaking ability, his prowess in coverage and his comfortability within the Bills’ defensive system.

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“A tibial plateau fracture in his right leg cost Milano most of his 2023 season, but his play in space remains among the best,” Fowler wrote. “Over his last 20 games, Milano has five interceptions, 100 return yards and 13 pass deflections.

“A great player with good instincts, an elite zone coverage player,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “Not as good as a man, but for what he (the Bills) does, he’s perfect. Just a decent blitzer.” Milano’s injury shouldn’t hamper his efforts in 2024 as he tries to regain his All-Pro form of two years ago.

As the article points out, Milano suffered a fractured tibia in Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season, an ailment that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign. He had been impactful up to that point in the season, recording 30 tackles, two interceptions, and one interception; he finished his nationally acclaimed 2022 season with 99 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career.

Milano, long considered one of the NFL’s most underrated defenders, has been one of the most influential players on Buffalo’s defense since elevating himself to a starting role midway through his rookie campaign in 2017. He’s been a force in the middle of the field, a sideline-to-sideline defender with a nose for the football and a penchant for making big plays at opportune moments. The Bills expect him to return to that form when he returns from injury, as he’s on schedule in his recovery.

Only San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Baltimore Ravens defensive end Roquan Smith rank higher than Milano on the list. Former Buffalo defensive signal-caller Tremaine Edmunds, who signed a mega-deal with the Chicago Bears in the 2023 offseason, ranks No. 7. Terrel Bernard, Edmunds’ backup in Orchard Park who exploded in 2023 with 6.5 sacks and three interceptions, does not appear on the list, having received no votes from league staff.

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