Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano will not play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, coach Sean McDermott said Friday.
Milano has been hampered by a pectoral injury and has not practiced this week. He played a limited number of snaps over the last two weeks.
Asked if the Bills might have been better served to put him on injured reserve, McDermott said he couldn't say that.
"We’ve been trying to figure out the best approach," he said. "Figure out the injury, how the injury affects the player and then trying to do the best thing for the player and the best thing for the team as well. That’s what we continue to do. It’s always nice to have players who want to play. But you have to be able to execute. That’s the delicate balance we're working with. ... As good as our medical staff is, no one has a crystal ball."
McDermott said it's possible that the Bills could activate newcomer Darron Lee to help fill in for Milano.
Center Mitch Morse, who suffered a concussion early in the game against New England, will not play.
Running back Taiwan Jones, who has been out with a hamstring injury, also will not play, and neither will cornerback Josh Norman, who also has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Running back T.J. Yeldon (back) also will not play.
Safety Micah Hyde is out of the concussion protocol. "He seems to be in a good spot," McDermott said. Hyde was a full practice participant Friday and does not have an injury designation.
As for guard Cody Ford, who did not play last week with a knee injury, McDermott said the team will take another look at him in practice. He was a full participant Friday and is listed as questionable.
"We’ve tweaked some things in terms of his return to play and our approach with that," McDermott said. "We’ll see where we want to spot him on Sunday."
Tight end Dawson Knox (calf), defensive tackle Vernon Butler (groin) and defensive end Daryl Johnson (knee) all are listed as questionable.
Wide receiver John Brown (knee), who did not practice Wednesday, practiced fully the last two days and does not have an injury designation, neither does defensive end Jerry Hughes (foot), who also practiced for a second consecutive day. Guard Brian Winters practiced full Friday after two days of being limited and does not have an injury designation.
Interestingly, while the Bills have a long list of injuries, they have very few players on injured reserve. According to Spotrac, the Bills are last in the game with $1.8 million in salary cap devoted to players on IR.
The game status for injured players will be released later Friday.
The home of the Buffalo Bills has been known by many names. On March 30, 2021, it was announced that Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York secured the naming rights and the stadium will now be called Highmark Stadium.
