What Sean McDermott said about Bills DE Von Miller's return from four-game suspension

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke about veteran defensive end Von Miller, who is set to return from a four-game suspension this week.

Kyle Silagyi | Oct 29, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills’ pass rush is set to receive a boost, as veteran defensive end Von Miller will return to the team’s lineup ahead of their Week 9 bout with the Miami Dolphins after serving a four-game suspension. The NFL’s active all-time sack leader was barred from playing for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, with all signs suggesting that his suspension was linked to late 2023 domestic assault allegations.

Miller, who is unequivocally one of the most dominant pass rushers in league history, had been experiencing a bit of a late-career resurgence in Buffalo prior to his suspension, tallying 13 pressures (per PFF) and three sacks over the first four games of the season while playing on just 35% of the team’s defensive snaps. More of a third-down contributor in his age-35 season, the Bills’ defensive front figures to benefit from Miller’s reintroduction into the lineup, with head coach Sean McDermott talking about the future Hall of Famer’s return during his Monday media availability.

“It’ll be good to have Von back,” McDermott said. “He’s been out for four weeks. Never sure what that brings, right, in terms of staying refined, staying polished, but I’m sure he’s been chomping at the bit to get back. It’ll be nice to have him back. Again, it’s never about one person, right? Especially when you play up front, it’s about the sum of the parts, and it’s about four guys rushing as one, and that’ll be important for us as we move forward as a defense overall.”

Buffalo’s pass rush has been demonstrably more productive with Miller in the lineup this season than without, notching 12 sacks over the first four games of the season compared to eight throughout Miller’s suspension. Fourth-year defender Greg Rousseau has been consistently stellar this season, in particular tallying 15 total pressures and seven quarterback hits over the past two games alone; that said, the entire defensive line struggled to convert pressures into sacks in Miller’s absence. Initially signed as a ‘closer’ who could finish consistently get home and finish pressures, Buffalo hopes that Miller’s return will result in an increase in quarterback takedowns; Bills fans will get their first glimpse at Miller in over a month when Buffalo hosts the Dolphins this Sunday.

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