Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich spoke to the media Friday morning following the Thursday night 31-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Here are three things to know:

1 — More clarity on Matt Milano's timeline

A roster decision perhaps flew under the radar prior to Buffalo's home tilt against the Dolphins. The Bills elected to not place linebacker Matt Milano on injured reserve prior to Thursday's deadline before the game. That's a positive sign as had the team felt his absence would be long term, an IR designation likely would've taken place to open up a roster spot.

No such decision was made, however and coach McDermott affirmed that by saying Friday that Milano is "improving" with the pectoral injury he suffered against the Jets.

"Yep, feel like it," he said when asked if the injury was more short term than long term. "What I was told after the injury last week was like the first couple of days (team trainers) would know more. So I think they feel the same way that it wasn't any worse."

While McDermott did not specify what that would mean for his Week 4 status against the Saints, there is optimism that the linebacker should return to the practice field sooner rather than later.

"It's been a positive for Matt that he's already continued to improve at this point," McDermott said.

2 — James Cook III closing in on Bills history

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is off to a tremendous start to the 2025 season, recording over 100 scrimmage yards and at least one rushing touchdown in the first three games.

In wins over the Jets and Dolphins, Cook combined for 240 rushing yards on 40 carries, a blistering average of six yards per carry.

With his touchdown run against Miami, Cook tied a franchise record with his seventh consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, a streak that dates back to last season. Cook can break a four-way tie for the record with a rushing TD against the Saints in Week 4.

"You have to love how he's running the football right now," OC Joe Brady said. "He's been playing so much stronger in the last couple of years, and he's able to do that, and then you can feel the explosiveness once he gets through the hole, and the vision going. He's in a really good spot."

In the back half of the 2024 season, the Bills frequently rotated in both Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in the backfield — a staple of their offensive identity. While Brady has still utilized all three backs this year, Cook's workload has risen above his peers with 61 touches in three games compared to 19 combined from Davis and Johnson.

Brady shared that Cook's consistency and explosiveness has made it hard for the Bills to take him off the field to start the season.

"Every game is going to be a little different," Brady said. "We do obviously have some plays that are naturally tagged for Ray, tagged for Ty but depending on how the game's going, at some point it's like, hey, we're not getting enough. Let's make sure Jimbo is still in there… In some situations, it's hard to take him off the field."

3 — Deone Walker's improvement

Dealing with his recovery from a back injury during his 2024 season at Kentucky, Bills fourth-round defensive tackle Deone Walker was brought along carefully during the spring and summer. Buffalo limited his reps during OTAs and slowly progressed upward in training camp.

It's important context to note as the 6-foot-7, 330-pound DT went from 13 defensive snaps in Week 1 to 22 in Week 2 and then 19 in Week 3. Walker's snaps shares of 47% and 31% the last two weeks has established the rookie as a valuable rotational piece early in his career.

DC Bobby Babich referenced a quote from former safety Micah Hyde during his playing days as to why Walker has been finding success.

"I quote Micah Hyde: 'Confidence is a dangerous drug'. So, I think the more he plays, the better off — that's any of our rookies — the more they play, the better off they're going to be," Babich said. "There's a certain standard that we want for our rookies to play with and that's the Buffalo Bills standard."

Walker flashed multiple times throughout Thursday's game with pressure and run stops at or near the line of scrimmage. His best play of the night came at an opportune time in the fourth quarter with Buffalo holding on to a 28-21 lead.

With the ball at Buffalo's 21-yard line and 3:06 remaining, Walker shed a block at the snap to force quick pressure on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and got his hands up in the throwing lane. Tagovailoa had to try to fit the ball around Walker, but Terrel Bernard was there anyway, jumping the route for an interception.

Walker's pressure, along with Bernard's vision and instincts to jump the route is exactly what the Bills coaching staff looks for when they preach the rush and coverage working together.

"(Walker) didn't get off to a great start in the game, but I love how he was able to stay mentally tough and stay on the attack, and then when needed most, made a huge play. Being able to affect the quarterback, we always talk about rush and coverage, and here Deone has a quick win, which you need. And TB has the coverage piece. And those two did a phenomenal job. That's the vision of rush and coverage working together," McDermott said.