Von Miller makes bold statement on fellow Bills' edge rusher

Buffalo Bills' future Hall-of-Fame DE Von Miller endorsed the AFC Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

Aug 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Von Miller knows a capable edge rusher when he sees one.

With 124.5 career sacks and a Super Bowl MVP award to his credit, the Buffalo Bills' defensive end is more than qualified to speak on such matters.

When he joined the Bills in 2022, Miller quickly recognized the potential in 2021 first-round draft pick Greg Rousseau's game. Now, he's seeing it translate into on-field results.

Rousseau sacked Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Kyler Murray three times in Buffalo's 34-28 Week 1 win and has been subsequently named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The season-opening outburst followed an impressive training camp this summer.

"It's starting to sprout. Two years later, it's starting to sprout," said Miller on Tuesday. "He's been taking steps. Last year, he had a lot of good rushes. Even though they didn't lead to sack, he had a lot of good rushes."

In 2023, Rousseau made 5.0 sacks over 16 games while recording a career-high 18 quarterback hits. He totaled 12 tackles-for-loss.

"I always knew that he was one of the best defensive ends in the league. Like I said after the game, there's only about five of them and he's one of them. To go out there and prove that Week 1, three sacks out the gate. I think that is a huge confidence booster" said Miller.

Finally looking like his old self after suffering an ACL tear in 2022, Miller has a productive working rapport with the 24-year-old Rousseau. The two-time Super Bowl champion was responsible for the Bills' fourth sack on Sunday.

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"I sit right beside him in the meeting room. We see the same thing. We speak the same language. I'm seeing what he sees. He sees what I see," said Miller, who will likely be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

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