Indianapolis Colts v Buffalo Bills
Indianapolis Colts v Buffalo Bills
It remains to be seen when the Washington Commanders will budge in their contract stalemate with Terry McLaurin, who doesn’t appear likely to step on the field until he signs on the dotted line.
As much ire as Commanders have for the front office right now, Adam Peters and Co. just pulled off signing two-time Super Bowl champion and eight-time Pro Bowler, Von Miller.
To say Washington was leaking oil at defensive end would be an understatement. While only so much can be expected of a 36-year-old Miller, this is a big move for the Super Bowl-hopeful Commanders.
The move was first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and was later confirmed by Miller himself on Instagram.
Commanders finally address their pass rush with Von Miller signing
ESPN’s Adam Schefter followed up that it is a one-year deal for Miller, but that the two sides are still working to figure out financial terms. It sounds like this is about to get over the line.
All in all, this is a good piece of business by the Commanders. While Frankie Luvu is an elite blitzer and Javon Kinlaw and DaRon Payne are both capable of creating havoc, this roster needed any semblance of a natural pass rusher.
Dorance Armstrong is the only returning DE who logged more than 20 pressures (he finished with 45). New addition Deatrich Wise topped out at 20 pressures last season, which ranked 80th among EDGE defenders, per PFF.
Miller has won two Super Bowls in his career: one with the Broncos and his most recent with the Rams. He is a likely future Hall of Famer. Even though he’s not what he was in his prime, the Commanders will take any and all pedigree they can get after they were one win away from reaching the Super Bowl.
Miller was released by the Bills in March, but that largely boiled down to his upcoming $23.9 million cap hit for the 2025 season. It makes sense why Buffalo didn’t want to pay that, but he finished last season with a ho hum 83.0 PFF pass-rush grade and 6.0 sacks. That’s very solid production for a player who’s in the back half of his 30s.
The fan base may have wanted a guy who has more left in the tank, but it’s slim pickings on the open market. Some of the biggest names left unsigned include Jadeveon Clowney, Matthew Judon, Preston Smith and DeMarcus Walker.
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