Bills free-agent targets: Linebackers
One of the dozens of difficult negotiations that loom for Bills general manager Brandon Beane this offseason is with top linebacker Matt Milano, who is due to hit free agency following the expiration of his rookie contract.
When available, Milano mostly outperformed the deal he signed after being drafted in the fifth round out of Boston College in 2017.
The only real problem has been availability. Milano missed three games in 2018, one in 2019 and six in 2020, making durability an issue.
"His biggest thing is being able to play 16 games," Beane said in his season-ending press conference. "We'd love to be able to get Matt back, but the business side matters and he's earned the right to go to free agency and see what his market bears."
That doesn't sound like the Bills are that anxious to prevent him from hitting the market, which if he does will set off a bidding war for his services that the Bills likely won't be able to win.
Milano's ability to cover running backs and tight ends makes him valuable. He even added a career-best 3.5 sacks in 2020.
The Bills play with at least one extra defensive back most of the time, meaning they rarely have more than two linebackers on the field.
Milano and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds helped make the Bills defense formidable by the end of the season, and the Bills lost just one game that Milano was able to play.
But if they can't or won't bring him back, they will be on the lookout for replacements in free agency. Here are a few alternatives:
Jayon Brown
Like Milano, Brown came into the league in 2017. Like Milano, he's best when operating in coverage, a valued and essential skill for linebackers in today's NFL
Unlike Milano, he might come at a price more in line with what the Bills are able to pay, which makes him an intriguing player to watch.
K.J. Wright
Wright can't cover like Milano or Brown and he'll turn 32 in July, but he's a better run defender with a sturdier build at 6-4, 245.
He's played the WILL and the SAM spots in Seattle's 4-3 as well.
How the market sets will determine everything, because Wright is not expected to fetch as much as some of the younger linebackers on the market.
He could be an option for the Bills if they can't compete with others for Milano or Brown.
Lavonte David
The Bills won't necessarily be shopping at the Dollar Tree for their free agents this year, but if they want an upgrade over Milano, they'll have to dig deep to pay David, who at age 31 is still at the top of his game.
David is widely considered the finest linebacker of this year's free agent crop after helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl.
He had 117 tackles, including 12 for losses, broke up six passes, forced three fumbles and had an interception.
He had never been in a playoff game prior to 2020, then played every defensive snap in the Bucs' four postseason games.
David is a top-flight player with excellent coverage and tackling skills, which means the Bucs might not allow him to reach the market.
But if he does, look out.
Denzel Perryman
Though he's a one-trick pony, he provides a pretty good one in being able to stop the run.
When the Bills run three linebackers out there on obvious running downs, he and Edmunds could pack a pretty powerful punch.
What's more, his coverage skills may be improving, according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him a coverage grade in 2020 of 74.1, the highest of his six seasons in the league.
The Bills probably would be best served at linebacker by focusing on their own free agent. But their are other ways to go and it will be interesting to see what decisions they'll make.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro.
