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Starting Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano has been in and out of the lineup all season long with injuries.
He’s only played in five games this season and has only tallied 21 combined tackles, intercepted a pass, and has deflected two passes.
On Wednesday, after he had missed the past three games due to being placed on the injured reserve list, the Bills announced that they were designating Milano to return to practice, which means he could be activated off the injured reserve list in the near future.
“We just gotta take it one day at a time. He’s been out a number of weeks,” McDermott said during Wednesday’s press conference. “I’m really encouraged by the way he’s worked and the work he’s put in with our medical team to get back. Today will be a good look to see where he is really. How he comes back tomorrow will be another tell for us also.”
Before being placed on the IR, Milano had a pectoral injury designation and didn’t practice at all heading into their Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. He did play in Weeks 7 and 8 against the New York Jets and New England Patriots but it seemed like he was still playing through an injury he suffered earlier in the season.
A designation to return to practice is a good sign for Milano and the Bills defense as they look to return to the level of play that they produced last season.
The Bills also designated linebacker Tyrel Dodson to return to practice as well. The 22-year-old played in four of Buffalo’s first six games this season and recorded 21 tackles to go along with one sack and two pass deflections.
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What Milano Could Bring to the Bills Defense
The former Boston College linebacker has been big for the Buffalo Bills since being drafted in the 5th round in 2017. He had a career year last season with 101 tackles, nine pass deflections, one forced fumble, and seven tackles for a loss.
Milano gave the Bills a consistent linebacker alongside Tremaine Edmunds and with the emergence of A.J. Klein over the past three games, Milano’s return could strengthen their defense.
But, he also doesn’t have to hurry back.
The Bills defense has started to hit their stride, so bringing Milano back for the stretch run could allow them to take another step forward. Earlier this week, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said this is what he wants to see from his defense as they creep into December.
“The consistency is beginning to show up a little bit and like we’ve talked about before,” Frazier said during Monday’s press conference. “The month of December is when you really want to be improving.”
Wide Receiver Jake Kumerow Signed to Active Roster
After placing wide receiver John Brown on the injured reserve list last week, the Bills have now made a corresponding move and have signed wide receiver Jake Kumerow to the 53-man active roster.
The Chicago, IL native played his college ball at Wisconsin-Whitewater and played for the Green Bay Packers for two years. During his two-year stint in Green Bay, he played in 19 games, started in six, and caught 20 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging a 62.5% catch rate.
So far this season, Kumerow has been primarily a special teams player. In the past three games, he’s logged just four offensive snaps but has logged a total of 49 special teams snaps. He hasn’t recorded any tackles yet this season.
The Bills also signed offensive lineman Marquel Harrell to the practice squad. Harrell was the starting left guard at Auburn in 2019 and logged 31 career starts for the Tigers. He signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Buffalo Bills back in April and spent most of training camp with the Bills. The Buffalo News reported that Harrell was visiting the Bills late last week.
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