Matt Milano's Injury: What Dorian Williams Will Bring to the Buffalo Bills as a Starter

Matt Milano's Injury and Dorian Williams' Opportunity

During this summer’s preseason slate, the Buffalo Bills were able to give second-year linebacker Dorian Williams some extended on-field looks. Following a biceps injury to linebacker Matt Milano that will have him sidelined for most of the regular season (if not longer), Williams was named the new starter next to linebacker Terrel Bernard. What should we expect for Williams’ sophomore follow-up? If the work in exhibition is any indication, things may be trending in the right direction.

Impressive Preseason Performance

Williams’ preseason debut against the Chicago Bears saw him total six tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack in limited snaps. We’ll begin there, and also take a quick look at some of his tape against the Carolina Panthers.

• Run Defense: NFL linebackers need to display a proficient ability to take on blocks of offensive linemen in the run game. Here above, at the snap, Williams came downhill hard and met Chicago’s center head-on. Williams then shed the block and helped make the tackle in the scrum.
• Blitzing Capability: For this rep, we see Williams beat the Bears’ blitz protection. Once the play began, Williams blitzed the quarterback. The running back came in to block him on blitz protection. However, Williams shed the block and went after the QB, forcing him to leave the pocket.
• Coverage Skills: Again versus the Bears, we see Williams’ coverage skills. Pre-snap, Williams was playing off of the tight end in zone coverage. Once the ball was snapped, the tight end ran straight forward and then went right, and Williams followed him.

Setting Realistic Expectations for Williams

With Matt Milano out, Williams won’t be expected to play at an All-Pro level. Instead, it seems likely that he’ll be tasked with providing a steady, solid presence on the field. Essentially, what we see here is a good example to show how Williams can keep plays from getting out of hand. At the snap, Williams dropped back into zone coverage in the middle of the field, ready to read the quarterback’s eyes. Once the football was thrown into the middle of the field, Williams made a break on the ball and wraps up the receiver with a solid, routine tackle.

Overall, and despite the small sample size, Dorian Williams played well in the preseason. We saw Williams make plays in the run game, against the pass, and as a blitzer. Unfortunately, Matt Milano has found some of the worst injury luck in the last two seasons, and that’s tested the Bills’ depth at linebacker. Is Williams ready to step up in his second season, prepared to build the necessary chemistry his role requires alongside Terrel Bernard?

Williams certainly looks the part, having put on a visible amount of muscle since his rookie season. Time will tell if Dorian Williams can put the mental errors behind him and if the game has slowed down enough for him to become the playmaker One Bills Drive hopes they drafted.