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Matt Milano

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Matt Milano
refer to caption
Milano in 2021
No. 58 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1994-07-28) July 28, 1994 (age 30)
Commack, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Florida)
College:Boston College (2013–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / round: 5 / pick: 163
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:488
Sacks:10.5
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:9
Interceptions:10
Pass deflections:39
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Matthew Vincent Milano (born July 28, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College.

Early life

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Milano and his siblings Gina and Michael, were three children born to Janet and Mike Milano.[1] He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Florida where he played defensive back with the Panthers football team.[2] Between his junior and senior seasons, Milano earned various team, district and conference honors. During the 2012 season, Milano was team captain. During his senior season, Milano was awarded Defensive Player of the Year, recording 100 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss and three sacks. He graduated in 2013.[1] Milano was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.com, receiving offers from Stony Brook, Miami University, Bowling Green, Arizona, Air Force and Boston College.[3]

College career

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Milano attended and played college football at Boston College under head coach Steve Addazio.[4][5]

Upon receiving the Westerman Family Flynn Fund Scholarship, Milano committed to Boston College, signing as early as July 2012.[6]

During his true freshman season in 2013, Milano first joined the field during the BC Eagle's season-opening home game defeating Villanova. Across 13 games, Milano finished his debuting season with a record of five tackles, including four solo tackles. During his sophomore season in 2014, Milano was part of the Eagles' defensive team that ranked second in the nation. Across 12 games in which he played, Milano recorded 18 tackles, including 15 solo tackles and participated in close to 300 plays. Milano's junior season in 2015 saw him earn multiple honorable mentions as he started 11 of 12 games as a strong side linebacker. During Milano's senior season in 2016, he received the William J. Flynn Most Valuable Player award for his season performance including 13 games that totaled 58 tackles, of which 41 were unassisted.

While at Boston College, Milano majored in applied psychology and human development.[1]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Cmb Solo Ast TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD FR FF
2013 Boston College 4 5 4 1 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
2014 Boston College 7 18 15 3 3 1.0 0 0 0.0 0 2 0
2015 Boston College 12 58 46 12 17.5 6.5 0 0 0.0 0 1 2
2016 Boston College 13 59 42 17 12 6.5 1 19 19.0 1 1 0
Career 36 140 107 33 32.5 14.0 1 19 19.0 1 5 2

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+1⁄2 in
(1.84 m) 		223 lb
(101 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.67 s 1.65 s 2.72 s 35 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

2017

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The Buffalo Bills selected Milano in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[9] The pick used to draft him was given by the New England Patriots as compensation for the Patriots signing restricted free agent running back Mike Gillislee.[10] He was the first of two linebackers Buffalo selected, along with Boise State's Tanner Vallejo.[11]

On May 11, 2017, the Bills signed Milano to a four-year, $2.66 million contract that included a signing bonus of $261,506.[12]

Throughout training camp, Milano competed against veterans Ramon Humber and Gerald Hodges for the job as the starting weak side linebacker.[13] Head coach Sean McDermott named Milano the backup weakside linebacker behind Humber to begin the regular season.[14]

On October 8, 2017, Milano earned his first career start and recorded four combined tackles during a 20–16 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals.[15] He earned the start in place of strongside linebacker Ramon Humber, who was ruled inactive due to a broken hand suffered the previous week.[16] On October 22, 2017, he had an impressive performance in his second consecutive start, making five combined tackles, two tackles for a loss, a pass deflection, and recorded his first career interception in the Bills' 30–27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[17] His first career interception was off a pass attempt by Jameis Winston and he returned it 15 yards and received the game ball from head coach Sean McDermott.[18] In Week 8, Milano collected four combined tackles and scored his first career touchdown in the 34–14 win against the Oakland Raiders.[19] In the second quarter of that game, cornerback Leonard Johnson forced a fumble by Raiders' running back DeAndré Washington, that was recovered by Milano and returned 40 yards for a touchdown.[20] The following week, against the New York Jets, Humber resumed his starting role at weakside linebacker and Milano returned to a reserve role.[21]

On December 10, 2017, Milano was named the starting weakside linebacker over Humber and recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles in a 13–7 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.[22] The next day, defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier stated Milano would remain the starting weakside linebacker barring any unforeseen circumstances.[23][24] During a Week 17 matchup at the Miami Dolphins, Milano recorded six combined tackles, but ultimately left the 22–16 victory after suffering a hamstring injury.[25] He was listed as inactive and missed the Bills 10–3 AFC Wild Card Round loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars.[26][27] Milano finished his rookie season with 49 combined tackles (32 solo), two pass deflections, one interception, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and five starts.[28][29]

2018

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In Week 3, Milano recorded a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, two passes defensed and eight tackles in a 27–6 win over the Minnesota Vikings, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[30] In Week 14, Milano suffered a broken fibula and underwent season-ending surgery.[31] He was placed on injured reserve on December 11, 2018.[32] Milano finished his second professional season with 78 combined tackles, one sack, and three interceptions.[33]

2019

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Milano returned from injury, recording a career high 100 combined tackles along with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 15 starts.[34] As Buffalo also returned to the playoffs, the team faced the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.[35] Milano had a game-high 12 tackles, but as the game went into overtime, Milano and Bills safety Siran Neal failed to sack Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who spun out of the tackle attempt and completed a pass which set up Houston's game-winning field goal, sealing a 22–19 Bills loss.[36][37]

2020

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In Week 1 against the Jets, Milano recorded his first interception of the season during the 27–17 win.[38] He was placed on injured reserve on November 7, 2020, after dealing with a pectoral injury since Week 4.[39] He was activated on December 7.[40] In the 2020 season, he appeared in ten games and started five. He finished with 3.5 sacks, 45 total tackles, one interception, and three passes defended.[41]

In the Bills' three postseason games, Milano started and had 25 total tackles and three passes defended.[42][43][44]

2021

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Milano against Washington in 2021

On March 11, 2021, Milano signed a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Bills.[45][46] He recorded his first sack of the season in Buffalo's week 2 35–0 victory over the Dolphins.[47] He recorded a season-high nine tackles in week 10 during a 45–17 win over the Jets.[48] Milano finished the season with 86 total tackles, three sacks, a career-high 15 tackles for a loss and five passes defended, as Buffalo finished the season 11–6 and won the AFC East for the second consecutive season.[49][50]

2022

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In Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, Milano recorded an interception off of Ryan Tannehill and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown in the 41–7 win.[51] In Week 11, he had 12 tackles, three for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery in a 31–23 win over the Cleveland Browns, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[52] He finished the 2022 season with 1.5 sacks, 99 total tackles, three interceptions, and 11 passes defended.[53] He had an outstanding performance in Buffalo's two playoff games at the end of the season, racking up a total of 20 combined tackles and three sacks.[54][55] Milano was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games after Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T. J. Watt forwent the games due to injury.[56] He earned first team All-Pro honors.[57]

2023

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Milano (#58) and teammate Greg Rousseau (#50) line up against the New York Jets in 2023

On March 12, 2023, Milano signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season.[58]

In Week 5 against the Jaguars, Milano suffered a season-ending fractured leg injury in the 25-20 loss and was placed on injured reserve on October 11, 2023.[59]

2024

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On August 15, 2024, it was announced that Milano had suffered a torn biceps in practice and would undergo surgery that would rule him out indefinitely.[60]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TfL Int Yds TD PD FF FR TD
2017 BUF 16 5 49 32 17 0.0 7 1 15 0 2 1 1 1
2018 BUF 13 13 78 52 26 1.0 12 3 41 0 7 0 3 0
2019 BUF 15 15 101 65 36 1.5 7 0 0 0 9 1 1 0
2020 BUF 10 5 45 35 10 3.5 4 1 0 0 3 0 0 0
2021 BUF 16 16 86 57 29 3.0 15 0 0 0 5 0 2 0
2022 BUF 15 15 99 72 27 1.5 12 3 84 1 11 0 2 0
2023 BUF 5 5 30 18 12 0.0 1 2 16 0 2 1 0 0
Career 90 74 488 331 157 10.5 58 10 156 1 39 3 9 1

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TfL Int Yds TD PD FF FR TD
2019 BUF 1 1 12 8 4 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 BUF 3 3 25 16 9 0.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
2021 BUF 2 2 16 10 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2022 BUF 2 2 20 15 5 3.0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2023 BUF 0 0 did not play due to injury
Career 8 8 73 49 24 3.0 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c "BC Eagles" Profile. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "MaxPreps" Profile. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "247Sports". Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Vega, Michael (September 11, 2015). "BC's Matt Milano passed first test as hybrid linebacker". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  5. ^ Benbow, Julian (April 23, 2017). "BC's Matt Milano looking to make big jump". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "Rivals.com". Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  7. ^ "Matt Milano Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "2017 Draft Scout Matt Milano, Boston College NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Hamilton, Jake (April 29, 2017). "Bills take two LBs late for special teams". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  11. ^ "2017 Buffalo Bills Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  12. ^ "Spotrac.com: Matt Milano contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  13. ^ Marasco, Canio (July 11, 2017). "Who will start at outside linebacker?". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  14. ^ Maiorana, Sal (August 31, 2017). "Maiorana: If Sean McDermott asks, this is my 53-man Bills roster". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals - October 8th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Quinn, Robert (October 3, 2017). "Bills' rookie LB Matt Milano to start in place of injured Ramon Humber". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  17. ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills - October 22nd, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Mairorana, Sal (October 26, 2017). "Did the Buffalo Bills find a fifth-round gem in linebacker Matt Milano?". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills - October 29th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  20. ^ Harding, Robert (October 30, 2017). "Buffalo Bills Week 8 Report Card: LeSean McCoy, Matt Milano leads Bills to 34-14 win". auburnpub.com.
  21. ^ "Buffalo Bills at New York Jets - November 2nd, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills - December 10th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "Bills' Matt Milano: Late-season starter". CBSSports.com. December 14, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  24. ^ "Leslie Frazier: Matt Milano will start in place of Ramon Humber". BuffaloRumblings.com. December 13, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  25. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins - December 31st, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  26. ^ "Bills' Matt Milano: Will miss wild-card game". CBSSports.com. January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  27. ^ Murphy, Sean (January 7, 2018). "Buffalo Bills inactives, Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars: LeSean McCoy in". BuffaloRumblings.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "Matt Milano 2017 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  29. ^ DiLoro, Justin (December 31, 2017). "Bills LB Matt Milano proving he's one of biggest steals from 2017 NFL draft". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  30. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (September 26, 2018). "Big Ben, Drew Brees among NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  31. ^ Dajani, Jordan (December 10, 2018). "LB Matt Milano out for season with broken fibula". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  32. ^ Brown, Chris (December 11, 2018). "Bills place Matt Milano, Taron Johnson on I-R". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  33. ^ "Matt Milano 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  34. ^ "Matt Milano 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  35. ^ "Wild Card - Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans - January 4th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  36. ^ Guaghan, Mark (January 4, 2020). "Bills' Matt Milano on Texans' Deshaun Watson's great escape: 'We just missed the tackle'". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  37. ^ Silver, Michael (January 5, 2020). "'Chill' Deshaun Watson ices Bills with epic play in Texans victory". NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  38. ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - September 13th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  39. ^ "Bills place Matt Milano on injured reserve; activate LB Del'Shawn Phillips". BuffaloBills.com. November 7, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  40. ^ Glab, Maddy (December 7, 2020). "Bills activate Matt Milano from injured reserve". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  41. ^ "Matt Milano 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  42. ^ "Wild Card - Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills - January 9th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  43. ^ "Divisional Round - Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills - January 16th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  44. ^ "AFC Championship - Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - January 24th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  45. ^ Brown, Chris (March 11, 2021). "Bills agree to terms on an extension with LB Matt Milano". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  46. ^ Louis-Jacques, Marcel (March 11, 2021). "Buffalo Bills sign LB Matt Milano to 4-year extension worth $44 million, source says". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  47. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins - September 19th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  48. ^ "Buffalo Bills at New York Jets - November 14th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  49. ^ "Matt Milano 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  50. ^ "2021 Buffalo Bills Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  51. ^ Werner, Barry (September 20, 2022). "Matt Milano with pick-six as Bills are demolishing Titans". Touchdown Wire. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  52. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 23, 2022). "Cowboys RB Tony Pollard, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  53. ^ "Matt Milano 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  54. ^ "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - January 15th, 2023". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  55. ^ "Divisional Round - Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills - January 22nd, 2023". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  56. ^ Glab, Maddy (January 27, 2023). "Bills linebacker Matt Milano named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games". www.buffalobills.com. Buffalo Bills. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  57. ^ "2022 NFL All-Pros". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  58. ^ Wojton, Nick (March 12, 2023). "Bills, Matt Milano agree to extension which creates salary cap space". USAToday.com. Bills Wire. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  59. ^ Alper, Josh (October 11, 2023). "Bills put Matt Milano, DaQuan Jones on IR; sign A.J. Klein to active roster". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  60. ^ Patra, Kevin (August 15, 2024). "Bills LB Matt Milano out indefinitely after tearing biceps". NFL.com. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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