Indianapolis, Ind. (WGR 550) - My 2024 "State of the Bills" positional series continues with a look at the linebackers:
Under contract:
- Matt Milano
- Terrel Bernard
- Dorian Williams
- Baylon Spector
Pending free agents:
- Tyrel Dodson
- Tyler Matakevich
State of the position:
What a difference a year makes.
Last year at this time, there were plenty of question marks surrounding the Bills' linebacker position, and specifically middle linebacker. Then Tremaine Edmunds signed with the Chicago Bears and even more questions arose.
Ultimately, Bernard won that job, and plenty of fans and media were skeptical because of his size.
There’s no more skepticism.
Bernard proved to not only be a quality starter, but even one of the most productive players in the league at the position, finishing 12th in the NFL with 143 total tackles. No one above him in that department also posted, at least, 6.5 sacks as Bernard did.
He also had three interceptions and three fumble recoveries, and was once named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
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Unfortunately for the Bills and Bernard, his ankle injury during their AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers cost him playing against the Kansas City Chiefs the following weekend, which was a huge blow to the defense and one of the factors in their loss.
Bernard enters Year 3 as the unquestioned starter at the MIKE position, and is under contract for two more years, still on his rookie deal. It’s a great situation for the team to have him and Milano locked up for multiple years.
Milano has already proven to be one of the top linebacker in the league, earning First-Team All-Pro honors after the 2022 season.
The 29-year-old was playing at the same high level through the first four games of last season before suffering a broken leg in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, which cost him the rest of the season.
There’s little-to-no concern about Milano’s recovery and ability to play at a high level again in 2024. He signed an extension in 2023, and is under contract for three more seasons. He’ll cost $12.4 million against the Bills' salary cap next year, which seems like a bargain for his position and production.
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While Milano was out, Dodson became the primary starter at weakside linebacker. After a rough start, especially against the pass, Dodson not only settled in, but became a solid and dependable player.
Now Dodson will have his first chance at unrestricted free agency. He’d be a really nice backup for the Bills again, if they can re-sign him, but there may very well be another team that sees him as their possible starter either at outside linebacker or in the middle, where he’s also played for the Bills and offers position flexibility.
Williams had the first chance to play in place of Milano when he was out, starting the next two games, but seemed a bit overwhelmed. He’s instinctual and fast, but is still learning how to read plays and take proper angles, sometimes going too fast for what’s needed.
That’s a big reason the team went with the veteran Dodson after that.
However, Williams looks to have a very bright future, based on his athletic traits, and got valuable experience in those games and others he was able to get some time on the field. He was even still used a quarterback spy at times in some games later in the season.
He’s also a big special teams contributor, playing about 70% of the snaps. That should all continue, as he grows into another year and backs up Milano, and possibly even Bernard.
Another backup the Bills really like is Spector, who actually started their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with both Bernard and Dodson out. Then, unfortunately for him, Spector was also injured while recovering a fumble and wasn’t able to play the rest of that game, nor the following week’s loss to the Chiefs.
Entering his third season, Spector also has position flexibility, able to play inside or outside. Like Williams, he’s also a valuable special teams contributor.
Speaking of special teams, that’s all Matakevich does, but has done very well for eight NFL seasons, including the last four with the Bills.
Matakevich was named a special teams captain in 2023, but now enters 2024 as an unrestricted free agent. At 31-years-old he still has years left to play that role.
The Bills could very well decide to bring him back at a low contract number, even the vet minimum, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they moved on and focused more on younger players who can fill the void.
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