Bills Announce Injury Updates Before Saints Game

Sean McDermott Issues Ed Oliver and Matt Milano Updates

These are issues that both players have been dealing with, as Oliver has not played since Buffalo's Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Milano's last game came against the New York Jets in Week 2.

On Friday, head coach Sean McDermott and the Bills officially announced via X that Oliver and Milano are declared out against the Saints.

That's two big losses, with the linebacker racking up nine tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one pressure through two games.

Oliver is the bigger loss, as he was dominant against the Ravens. Through one game, he already has six tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, one pressure and one forced fumble.

Oliver's Pro Football Focus overall grade of 92.1 ranks as the best out of 172 interior defensive linemen. Not having him on the field for three straight weeks is a major disappointment.

Ed Oliver and Matt Milano's Replacements

On the Bills' depth chart, linebacker Shaq Thompson is listed as Milano's backup, while T.J. Sanders sits behind Oliver.

Thompson, an 11-year veteran, has appeared in two games this year, accumulating seven tackles and one tackle for loss. His numbers don't jump off the page, but he is a solid replacement with experience.

The same can't be said for Sanders, who was taken in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Buffalo. In three games, he's racked up just one tackle and no other statistics.

Luckily, though, even without their two starters, the Bills are going up against a weak Saints offense, which is tied for 19th in total yards per game (302) and ranks 29th in points per game (15.7).

Buffalo hosts New Orleans at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS.