The Buffalo Bills could see longtime linebacker Matt Milano leave the team this offseason.
Milano is a fan-favorite linebacker, but is a free agent and has yet to sign with a team. Although the Bills could still use some more linebacker help, the team did draft Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the fourth round.
With the Bills addressing the linebacker unit through the draft, Bills analyst Brandon Ray of FanSided predicts Milano will sign with the Miami Dolphins and remain in the AFC East.
“For any Bills fans that loved seeing Matt Milano on Bills blue, this would be devastating. However, Milano is from the state of Florida and he knows the AFC East very well,” Ray wrote. “Not to mention, the Dolphins drafted Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez who has a very similar playstyle to Milano. Bringing in Milano to be a mentor for Rodriguez would not be a bad idea on the Dolphins’ end.”
Milano has spent his entire career with the Bills after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Boston College. The veteran became a starter and a fan-favorite for his hard-hitting tackles.
Signing with Miami also makes sense, as the Dolphins drafted Jacob Rodriguez, who was compared to Milano. So, signing Milano for a year to be a veteran mentor for Rodriguez makes a lot of sense.
Milano recorded 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season but has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
Bills Had Need for Linebackers
Entering the offseason, one of the biggest needs for the Bills was at linebacker.
Buffalo had Shaq Thompson and Milano as free agents, creating a hole, but even if they brought them back, the Bills needed to add more depth. Bills general manager Brandon Beane hinted at the team drafting a linebacker before the NFL Draft.
“I do think there’s some guys. I think there’s some depth there starting in round one and kind of moving down. So we’ll see how that falls, but I think there could be some opportunities for us in this draft I can’t tell you which round necessarily. We have to see how it falls,” Beane said.
“But I do think there’s depth there. You know, we’re talking, I think there’s some inside backers too this year. Some years that can be a thinner class. I would say that’s a deeper class. There’s some safeties in this class as well.”
The Bills did draft Elarms-Orr, who can provide some linebacker depth. He recorded 130 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 pass defenses last season at TCU.
Elarms-Orr Prides Himself on Tackling
The Bills’ lone linebacker addition was drafting Elarms-Orr, who could make an impact right away.
After being selected by the Bills, Elarms-Orr believes this system fits him well as he will be a tackling machine.
“(The system) definitely fits my profile,” Elarms-Orr said to the media. “I pride myself on the versatility of my game. Just being able to be a three-phase, complete linebacker, stop the run, stop the pass, and affect the quarterback. And I feel like I can bring all three of those to the city”.
The Bills selected Elarms-Orr with the 126th overall pick.
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