Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller has been terrorizing opposing offenses for two decades, giving offensive coordinators many sleepless nights thinking about how they would attempt to block the edge rusher. Miller’s NFL career is winding down, and when the perennial Pro Bowler decides to hang up the cleats, he will, rightfully, be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Reviewing Miller’s NFL career is an edge-rushing odyssey, spanning several teams and title runs. How many teams did Miller play for, and when was the future Hall of Famer at his finest?
When Was Von Miller First Noticed?
The future Super Bowl champion broke onto the scene as a junior in high school when his knack for finding the football began to jump off the screen. Miller took his game to the next level as a senior, winning District 8-5A Defensive MVP. Coming out of high school, Miller was a four-star recruit and chose the Texas A&M Aggies over Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma.
The speedster off the edge made an immediate impact at the collegiate level, being named Freshman All-Big 12. Miller wasn’t as studious off the field as he was on the field, and the future first-round pick began to skip class, resulting in his suspension in the spring.
He considered transferring away from Texas A&M, but his father’s direction kept him at College Station.
As a sophomore, Miller was miscast in the Aggies’ defense. The coaching staff asked him to drop back in pass coverage rather than pinning his ears back and heading after the QB, which is what he does best. The coaching staff finally turned Miller loose off the edge, and his play was night and day.
The future perennial All-Pro took off during his junior season, leading college football in sacks with 17. Miller was fourth in college in tackles for loss, causing havoc in the opposition’s backfield. He received many accolades during his collegiate career, including first-team All-American, and won the Butkus Award as college football’s top linebacker.
Since he had done everything he set out to do as a collegiate player, Miller was off to the NFL Draft.
Who Drafted Miller?
With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected Miller. Drawing Derrick Thomas comparisons, he had the attention of NFL scouts, and Denver plucked him to reimagine their defense.
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In 2015, Miller led an underdog Broncos team to an upset Super Bowl title over the Carolina Panthers. He was named Super Bowl MVP with 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Miller played his first 10 professional seasons with Denver, but the following season, a change would come that would surprise the future Hall of Famer.
Why Did the Broncos Trade Miller?
The Broncos were heading in the wrong direction and entering a rebuilding phase. Miller was a big name and carried marquee value around the NFL, even at an advanced league age of 32.
The Los Angeles Rams, notorious for not caring about draft capital, sent 2022 second and third-round picks to Denver to acquire Miller.
The move, although short term, paid off for Los Angeles as Miller was a pivotal defender for the Rams throughout their Super Bowl title-winning run in 2021-’22. Miller became only the second player, joining Giants’ edge rusher Justin Tuck, to record two sacks in two different Super Bowls.
He then entered free agency as a two-time Super Bowl winner.
Miller’s Buffalo Bills Tenure
Miller remained connected to the Rams during free agency, but ultimately, he chose Buffalo, inking a six-year, $120 million contract.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2022, Miller left a game against the Detroit Lions with a knee injury. Initially, the injury was expected to sideline him for 2-4 weeks.
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However, during exploratory surgery, it was uncovered that Miller had torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the 2022 season. Buffalo did not activate Miller from the PUP list until Oct. 7, 2023.
Although Miller’s tenure with the Bills hasn’t been successful to this point, if he’s influential on the defensive side of the ball and can help get Buffalo over the hump and to the Super Bowl, then his time there — like it was in Los Angeles — will be worth it.
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