Bills DE Von Miller makes bold statement amid career resurgence: ‘I never left’

Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller is looking like the pass rusher of old to start the 2024 campaign.

Kyle Silagyi | Sep 27, 2024

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Don’t call it a comeback.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller has been dominant to kick off the 2024 campaign, recording three sacks through the first three games of the season. With five tackles, four quarterback hits, and the three aforementioned sacks to commence the campaign, the 35-year-old pass-rusher is showing flashes of the Miller of hold, this after a 2023 season in which many wrote him off as well past his prime.

He recorded just three tackles and zero sacks throughout the season after returning from a 2022 ACL tear in Week 5, not making a consistent impact while, at times, acting as more a defensive determinant than benefit. He recorded a career-low 17 total quarterback pressures throughout the year, per PFF, prompting him to take a pay cut in the offseason.

Many feared that Miller’s best football was behind him, but his start to the 2024 campaign has shown that there’s still tread on the proverbial tire. He’s on pace for 17 sacks, and though he more than likely won’t hit that mark, a double-digit sack season is well within the realm of possibilities given his start; this would be his first double-digit sack outing since 2018. He’s already tallied 13 quarterback pressures this season, per PFF, and is on track to best his 2023 total within the next one or two games.

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The NFL’s active-all-time sack leader, Miller’s sack in Buffalo’s Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars moved him into 17th on the NFL’s all-time sack list (126.5), tying him with legendary Kansas City Chiefs defender—and Miller’s idol—Derrick Thomas. The veteran defender recently took to Instagram to celebrate the achievement, making a bold claim in his caption.

“I would say that ‘i’m back’ but I never left,” he wrote.

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A post shared by Von Miller (@vonmiller)

Miller’s struggles throughout the 2023 campaign were well-documented; he was made inactive for the team’s Week 17 clash with the New England Patriots, and he’s since stated on several occasions that he shouldn’t have even played last season due to his injury. That said, Buffalo’s coaching staff saw signs of the dominant pass rusher of old as the season progressed, and he’s obviously built on these signs to start the new campaign. He’ll look to continue his strong start to the season this weekend when the Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday Night Football clash.

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