Bills believe Von Miller ‘should only improve’ next season

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – On Von Miller’s decorated stat sheet, his 2023 season sticks out like a sore thumb. The once-feared pass rusher failed to sack an opposing quarterback this season and registered just five tackles in 14 games, including playoffs.

Despite insisting all summer he could return from a torn ACL in time for Opening Day, Miller’s legendary burst and quickness never returned. But Bills general manager Brandon Beane offered optimism Tuesday that Miller has good football ahead of him as he enters his age-35 season.

“I think it was trending up as the year went on,” Beane said in his end-of-season news conference. “Thought he actually made some good plays in the run game the other night (against Kansas City). … But you saw that explosiveness coming back and that should only improve, according to our medical team.”

Miller tore his ACL in a game at Detroit on Nov. 24, 2022. He made his return to the lineup in early October, 10½ months since the injury.

The Bills worked Miller in slowly, keeping him on the bench for the majority of defensive snaps in every game he played. He logged a season-high two tackles in the playoff loss against the Chiefs.

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“My hope is that that is a good direction for where we pick up at the beginning of next season,” coach Sean McDermott said of Miller’s performance Sunday. “What he came back from and the way he worked certainly was impressive. Do I wish he was healthier through the course of the body of the season? Absolutely. But nobody worked harder to get himself back. And my hope is that he is healthy at the beginning of next season and ready to really play his best football.”

Miller’s status for next season is also clouded by potential disciplinary action stemming from a domestic incident during the team’s bye week. Dallas-area police accused Miller of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in November during an argument in their luxury apartment, an allegation that Miller later called “100% false.” The Bills chose not to hold Miller out of action while the legal process played out.

The Dallas County District Attorney has not formally charged Miller with a crime. Under Texas law, assault against a pregnant person could elevate the charge to a third-degree felony. The NFL typically waits for the legal process to play out before handing down a suspension or other discipline.

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Miller is slotted to carry a massive salary cap hit of nearly $24 million next season, according to contract website Spotrac. The structure of the contract makes him very difficult to cut, but if Miller were to be suspended, the Bills would have grounds to void the future guarantees in his deal, which could lead to his release.

But as it stands now, the Bills simply hope Miller returns to form and avoids legal trouble.

Beane said Tuesday that the team doesn’t have any new information about Miller’s legal situation, but he has been led to believe the incident will come to “some type of finality this spring.”

“Nothing has changed from that standpoint to make us think any different of what we believe occurred,” Beane said.

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Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter and Threads. See more of his work here.

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