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As soon as Bobby Babich hears the question, the Bills defensive coordinator knocks on wood. He doesn't want to jinx anything for his veteran linebacker.
"I have not answered any Matt Milano health questions, so I'm going to continue to not answer that," Babich said in July as he tapped on the table in front of him. "It's great to have Matt out there."
Yes, Milano is back. Right now, he looks like the Milano of years past after a strong training camp.
A successful season - and a healthy one - from Milano could propel the Bills, and Milano himself. Right now, he is doing everything he can to make that happen.
As training camp at St. John Fisher University came to a close, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was asked about the Buffalo defense, having gone up against the unit day after day.
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Who on the other side looked good?
"Matt Milano looks pretty dang good," Allen said immediately. "He's flying around."
Milano, consistently a man of few words, even acknowledged a solid camp.
"It was pretty smooth," Milano told The Buffalo News. "Felt good."
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Entering Year 9, Milano has plenty to play for.
Before this season, Milano agreed to a pay cut of $3 million, although he can earn it back in incentives. And more than that, Milano's reworked deal means he now is set to become a free agent in 2026. Previously, he was set to be with the Bills through 2027.
But for Milano, the focus as he approaches another season is much more granular.
"Just the details, just staying in my playbook. Just comes down to little details throughout the day," Milano said.
Milano's goals for himself this season are simple.
"To have a great year," Milano said.
What does that mean to Milano?
"To have a great year," he said. "I don't know."
A tough road back
At a joint practice in Chicago last month, Milano had a diving pass breakup that highlighted his day.
Coaches like Babich are still wary of getting too excited, but they know what Milano can accomplish when he is out on the field.
Milano, 31, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2022. Then, he played just nine regular-season games over the course of the next two seasons because of injuries.
The first was a gruesome broken leg against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in 2023. Milano missed the remainder of that season, but in the following summer, he seemed ready for his comeback.
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Then came a biceps injury during last year's training camp.
"What a tough road for him, right?" Babich said.
The years start to run together for the coach.
"Like, you go back to last year - God, these years are meshing - but I think last year was the individual drill, where it was nothing," Babich said. "And you go back to the year he was having when in London, I think, he broke his leg, right?
"Like, it's been hard on him, but he has been constant. He's been around. He's stayed positive. Matt Milano is not a man of many words, but he's got a lot of great values. And pretty cool. I mean, he's handled it brilliantly. Brilliantly."
Mixed in Babich's message is a hint about the cruel casualty of Milano's biceps injury - "the individual drill, where it was nothing."
Camp was already over. The preseason was winding down. And then it happened - a devastating mishap on what should have been a routine drill in a routine practice last summer.
Indeed, Milano was sidelined for months.
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He came back last year for four regular season games and then the playoffs, but it took a bit to knock off the rust.
Mentally, Milano said he feels he has come a long way since the injuries.
"(I'm) in a good place," Milano said on his headspace.
How'd he get there?
"I'm not sure. Just the journey alone," Milano said.
Bills linebackers coach Al Holcomb has watched the journey up close. As Milano gears up for the season, Holcomb sees the veteran playing at a high level.
"Intense, deliberate," Holcomb said of Milano. "Still very coachable as an older vet ... and he's trying to do the things that we're asking him to do at a high level. Still brings that physicality and that speed and athleticism to our system and our defense, and he has been a really good leader in the room."
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A leader can come in many forms.
"I'm just trying to be myself every day," Milano said. "Help guys out, help myself out, and that's really it."
Verbose or not, Milano is helping younger linebackers by setting an example.
"I know Matt's a little bit quiet, but he's been a really good leader for us," Holcomb said, "which has been really good to see, because he's healthy now. ... So, it's really good."
'Matt's back'
It was early in camp when Milano started to show his renowned tenacity.
It was the first day in full pads for the team. The offense called a jet sweep, a play designed for wide receiver Elijah Moore.
"And I know it was pretty well-known what he did," linebacker Terrel Bernard said.
Milano blew up the play, and teammates on both sides took notice.
"I think just seeing that, the first day out there, he kind of set the tone a little bit and flashed," Bernard said. "I think that was the thing everybody looked at, and was like, 'Matt's back.' "
Bernard didn't become a full-time starter until 2023, and as such, he and Milano have had limited simultaneous game reps.
Because the Bills' base defensive package is nickel, with four down linemen and five defensive backs, their two linebackers - Bernard and Milano - have to not only be playmakers, but sure tacklers.
Before Milano's biceps injury last summer, the pair was starting to envision what they could do together. Now, they're on track to finally get that chance.
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And in the lead-up, Milano is making play after play.
"He's playing fast," Bills coach Sean McDermott said during camp. "He looks comfortable out there. I think the biggest thing for him, and I don't want to speak for him, but it is important that he gets next to T.B. (Bernard) as much as possible, right?
"And that's some of the things that someone was asking about the injuries that you lose when you're not working alongside of someone, getting reps, talking about a play after the play unfolds and saying, 'Hey, how did you see that? Oh yeah, this is what I was thinking. Oh, I thought you were thinking that, too.' So that's valuable for us and for Matt, in this case."
In Milano's 2022 All-Pro season, he had three picks, one for a touchdown, two fumble recoveries, 11 passes defended, 1½ sacks and 99 total tackles.
If he can get back close to that level, and bring Bernard with him, the Bills' defense could steamroll its opponents.
But Milano said he doesn't look that far ahead or speculate on what the team can accomplish. Instead, he said, he focuses on detail after detail with Bernard every day.
"It's been cool, building that relationship even more," Milano said. "Getting to know each other even more than we do, just building every day in training camp."
"It been good," Bernard added. "The first time we've kind of gotten through a full offseason and training camp together. So, it's been good."
The bonding continues off the field, as well.
"We sit next to each other at meetings, we hang out outside of the building, and we're really wired the same way, which is fun," Bernard said. "I feel like we see the game the same way."
For Bernard, 26, that opens more opportunities to make an impact.
"It slows down the game for me even more, having him to bounce ideas off of in those two, three seconds before the offense comes out," Bernard said. "Talking about things that we've noticed throughout the week or key points to remember when the play starts - that's something that we do a lot. Little reminders here and there help you make a play every now and then."
And for Milano, all that matters is the next play.
In this Series Complete coverage: A Buffalo Bills 2025 season preview 6 mins ago Matt Milano isn't much for conversation. But after some time away, he's ready to make noise. 24 updates Next 0 Comments Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
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