Bills place Hamlin, Sanders on IR as Milano ruled out for Monday

The Buffalo Bills ruled out three defensive players for Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, announcing Saturday that safety Damar Hamlin and rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders will be placed on injured reserve and that starting linebacker Matt Milano will not play. Coach Sean McDermott made the announcements at the team’s facility in Orchard Park as Buffalo prepared for the game that precedes its bye week.

Hamlin sustained a pectoral injury in practice this week, McDermott said, and will be moved to injured reserve. Sanders will undergo surgery to repair a knee injury that kept the second-round draft pick out of last week’s 23-20 loss to New England, and he too will be placed on injured reserve. McDermott said he did not provide specific timelines for how long Hamlin and Milano will be sidelined, but noted that Sanders has a better chance of returning later this season. Milano aggravated a pectoral injury in the New England game; that is the same injury that previously caused the 31-year-old to miss two games.

The moves remove three experienced contributors from a defense already coping with multiple absences and will require adjustments to Buffalo’s rotation....