Bills' Von Miller touts injury recovery milestone at OTAs practice

After a slow recovery from ACL surgery, Buffalo Bills' edge rusher Von Miller is reportedly returning to form at OTAs in Orchard Park as his knee is 'feeling great.'

Bills Von Miller and Jordan Poyer take down Chiefs Rashee Rice during the second half of the Bills divisional game against Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 21, 2024. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat

Von Miller is already better off today than he was one year ago.

The Buffalo Bills' decorated defensive end, who was slow to rebound from the ACL tear that ended his 2022 season, is participating in voluntary OTAs Phase 3 practices without brace on his surgically-repaired knee.

"So far, I've been feeling great. I've been practicing without a knee brace — that's something that I just could not do last year," said Miller on Tuesday in Orchard Park.

The 35-year-old Miller, who has enjoyed a Hall-of-Fame worthy career, optimistically enters his third season as a Bill.

"I have continued to grind and continued to work on my knee. I think everyone revolves around my health, the way my knee's feeling," said Miller, who has recorded 123.5 sacks over 173 regular season appearances.

In his first year after signing with Buffalo, Miller made 8.0 sacks in 10+ games before suffering an ACL tear on Thanksgiving 2022 in Detroit. Miller remained on the Physically Unable to Perform list until Week 5 in 2023.

Miller struggled to gain traction throughout the regular season. He was credited with only three tackles and three quarterback hits over 12 regular season games.

"I think my last three games of the season —Miami, Pittsburgh, and KC— were my best games of the year. I hate that I waited all the way to that point, but that's just what it took," said Miller.

The Bills' brass seems confident in Miller, especially after he willingly reworked his contract to create salary cap space.

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"I do think Von will look more like the Von we know coming into this year. He put the team first. He wants to win. He said that since the day he got here,” said general manager Brandon Beane at league meetings in late March.

The skeptics have written him off as washed up, but Miller, like Beane, suggests that we haven't seen the last of the old Von.

"I know what I can do, what I can still do," said Miller. "I still feel like I got a couple more years left and I'm gonna give it my all."