Von Miller Expected to Miss 2020 Season, per Report

The Broncos' star pass rusher suffered a scary lower-leg injury toward the end of Tuesday's practice and is expected to miss the entire 2020 season.

Broncos linebacker Von Miller suffered a lower-leg injury in practice on Tuesday, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafalo, and it could be season-ending. 

Alas, that most virulent of football pests jumped up on Tuesday and bit the biggest star on the Broncos' roster. The news was broken by Rapoport and Garafalo, but according to a report from KUSA's Mike Klis, Miller suffered a lower-leg injury toward the end of Tuesday's practice and he's already undergone an MRI and is likely headed for surgery.  

Per source, Von Miller suffered a lower leg injury in ankle area on one of last play's of practice today. He had MRI, going to consult with Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay. Surgery expected. Doesn't look good. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 8, 2020

"Per source, Von Miller suffered a lower leg injury in ankle area on one of last plays of practice today. He had MRI, going to consult with Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay. Surgery expected. Doesn't look good," Klis tweeted on Tuesday late afternoon.  

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If Klis is already reporting that surgery is imminent, indeed, the optics are bad. Miller, who is 31, is entering his 10th season. 

With the exception of his 2013 season that saw him open with a six-game suspension and close with an ACL tear, Miller has mostly been able to keep the injury bug at bay throughout his prolific NFL career. Last season, he did miss one start due to a knee injury but still notched eight sacks in 15 games. 

If Miller is going to miss time in 2020 — there's no way to couch it — it's absolutely terrible news. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Bradley Chubb, the Broncos' pass-rushing complement to Miller and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 draft, is rebounding from an ACL tear suffered in Week 4 last year. 

While it might be too early to say for sure, Chubb's impact, especially in the first quarter of the season, could be limited for obvious reasons but those misgivings only intensified when he seemed to suffer a setback with that recovering knee during the Broncos' first stadium scrimmage about 10 days ago. The team might have a more specific timetable for Chubb but at worst, he's likely to be on a pitch count to open up the 2020 campaign. 

If Miller is going to miss significant time, the Broncos can only hope to rely on Jeremiah Attaochu and Malik Reed. Both backup edge rushers, at different points last year, showed flashes of production and heading into Year 2 in the Vic Fangio scheme, there's reason to hope for a jump in performance from them. 

As for Miller, he's coming off a sub-par 2019 campaign but that caused him to only dig deeper during the offseason, putting on additional weight and entering training camp like a man with a mission. This injury development is scary but it's important not to jump to conclusions or view it as a harbinger for the 2020 season overall. 

UPDATE: Klis provided more context to Miller's injury on Twitter. 

Source: Von did not rupture Achilles. But it appears to be tendon in ankle area. Von was heard doing his primal, motivational yell before practice, which he had been doing during camp. Definitive diagnosis may not come till Dr. Anderson diagnosis on Thursday. #9sports https://t.co/BaYAXMTZLd

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 9, 2020

UPDATE: Klis reports Miller is expected to miss the 2020 season. Welp!

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.