Matt Milano's Stock Keeps Rising as Bills Keep Climbing

After signing a below-market contract extension in offseason, the linebacker has thrived like never before.

Not until linebacker Matt Milano instructed his agent to do whatever it took to get a new contract with the Buffalo Bills did the team think it would be getting him back this year and beyond.

But Milano surprised them the way he routinely surprises opponents with his ability to retreat in pass coverage and disrupt pass patterns to backs and tight ends.

The payoff for the team has been instantaneous. Milano needed just two games this season to rise to the top of Pro Football Focus' NFL linebacker rankings with a grade of 86.6. And that was before he played arguably his best game on Sunday in a 43-21 win over Washington, raising his grade to 89.8.

Alas, he was passed in Week 3 by Cleveland's Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but no matter. The Bills are loving what they've been getting from Milano, who has 16 tackles, including a team-high six for losses, a sack, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups.

"Matt seems to be playing with so much more confidence," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier raved. "You can see it in his urgency, the way he's practicing the way he's playing. He's much more vocal than he's ever been. There's just a whole 'nother level to his plate. And these first three games — now he's been a good player for us all along, which is one of the reasons he was re-signed to a good contract — he's taken his game to another level from an intensity standpoint, and it's really become infectious with the rest of our players.

"So just love the energy that he's bringing and the fire that he's playing with and hopefully that will continue."

Twenty years ago, Milano might have been considered too small even for safety at 6-0, 225 pounds. In today's NFL, he's the linebacker everyone wants: Formidable against the run and able to cover the middle of the field and drop deep when necessary.

Milano has always had those skills, though, since coming into the league in 2017.

What's come to the forefront in 2021 is his leadership.

"We put a lot on Tremaine Edmunds' plate to communicate to the entire defense," Frazier explained. "And there are times when you're in a loud stadium like our stadium ... when you need another voice to echo some of Tremaine's commands. And in years past, that hasn't been Matt's deal. You know, we're trying to get him there. ... We've been urging Matt to help Tremaine with that, with our defensive line, because we don't want our defensive line turning to look and find out what what defense we're going to be playing when it's loud.

"And so to see Matt now verbally communicate, you really echo some of what Tremaine's commands are. It's making us a better defense and it's making him a better player because it forces him to lock in on every little detail. And it's something he's embraced from the offseason through the preseason and now during the regular season. So it's really good for our defense that he's become more vocal in the communication."

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. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.