Bills DC says Von Miller showed 'flashes' of former dominance at end of 2023 season

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich is optimistic about veteran pass-rusher Von Miller entering the 2024 NFL season.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There was no actual parade when news broke in March 2022 that the Buffalo Bills were set to sign veteran pass-rusher Von Miller, but the palpable excitement that the signing sparked in the region suggested one was forthcoming.

The team was fresh off a heartbreaking AFC Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a contest in which it led with just 13 ticks remaining on the clock. The presence of an elite pass-rusher with a demonstrated ability to make plays in crucial moments perhaps would’ve made the difference; in signing the NFL’s all-time sack leader, many fans thought the difference was made.

The signing paid immediate dividends for Buffalo, as Miller looked every bit his perennially dominant self throughout the start of the 2022 campaign. He tallied eight sacks throughout the team’s first 10 games, making big plays in early regular season wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.

Related: New Bills DC says he'd be 'a fool' to not lean on 'mentor' Sean McDermott

He was the elite pass-rusher, the closer, the difference maker, that he was signed to be, and the Bills looked primed to be a postseason contender yet again.

And then disaster struck.

Miller tore his ACL in a Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions, missing the rest of the season and the first four games of the 2023 campaign. He was a shell of his former self upon returning, failing to make a consistent impact as a pass-rusher while frequently looking uncharacteristically out of place. He finished the season with just three tackles and zero sacks, notching a career-low 17 total quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

Expectations for Miller’s 2024 season are mixed; there’s some hope that he can reclaim some of his former glory and look something more akin to the game-wrecking pass-rusher the Bills initially signed, but at 35 years of age, it’s difficult to be too optimistic that he’ll be anything more than a rotational pass-rusher with a strong resume.

New Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich feels that the future Hall of Famer still has something left with the tank. Coming off a two-year stint as Buffalo’s linebackers coach in which he was primarily focused on that position, Babich had the opportunity to watch film with greater attention paid to the entire defense throughout the spring, concluding that Miller flashed down the stretch last year.

Related: Bills COO: 'Interest has been high' in search for limited ownership partner

“There was a couple of plays in there where you were like, ‘Okay, I see Von,’” Babich told reporters ahead of a Tuesday OTA practice at One Bills Drive. “Von was obviously, [it’s] documented, banged up, he had the ACL he was coming back from and all of those types of things. When you sit in the defensive coordinator seat coming from the linebackers—you pay attention to the D-line, like, you’re watching the tape, but you’re really focused on your position, right?

“But the things I did see, there were flashes of some Von Miller there at the end of the year. Von’s working hard to get back. Von’s a terrific person and the expectation is that, minute by minute, we’re just continuing to get better and continue to hone back in on the skills and train the skills that are needed for him to impact the game like we need him to.”

With Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa above him on the depth chart, Buffalo doesn’t need Miller to reach his former heights (though it certainly wouldn’t mind that outcome). If he can instead be a fieldable defender—a reliable edge setter who shows occasional juice as a pass-rusher—that would likely be enough. It would at least be an upgrade over last season.