Future Hall of Fame pass-rusher Von Miller revealed Wednesday night on his Instagram that he will join the Washington Commanders for their Super Bowl pursuit.
Miller, 36, was cut by the Buffalo Bills in March, three years after he signed a six-year, $120 million contract. He finished 2024 with 17 total tackles and six sacks in 13 games.
The 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl 50 MVP, Miller suffered a torn ACL during his first season with the Bills. He did not record a sack in 12 games the following season and was relegated to a backup role, which he served until his release.
The Commanders will hope that the aging star has a little bit of juice left in his tank. They struggled to generate pressure last year, and no member of their current defensive line registered more than five sacks in 2024.
That means that even a veteran Miller was more productive than the Commanders’ projected starters.
While six sacks is far from a standout total, Washington’s new recruit ranked 10th in pass-rush win rate in 2024, per Pro Football Focus.
The only players ahead of him were Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Trey Hendrickson, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, Za’Darius Smith, and Alex Highsmith.
Unlike previous stops in his career, the Commanders won’t depend on Miller to carry a heavy burden. They revealed earlier in the summer that they had planned to share responsibilities and could settle on a “pass-rush by committee” approach.
“We’ll have somebody produce a higher sack total than what’s thought to be,” Commanders Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said ahead of a June minicamp practice. “And so, who that person is, I don’t know. Will it be a collective of guys? I don’t know. But I do feel that our pass rush will be better. I do feel, definitely, that our run defense will be better.”
The Commanders’ defense struggled to positively impact games last season. Despite Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu being named second-team All-Pro members, the team was 22nd in EPA allowed per dropback and 27th in EPA allowed per rush.
General Manager Adam Peters retooled the defensive front once free agency opened, letting last year’s sack leader, Dante Fowler Jr., head to Dallas, and signing Javon Kinlaw, Eddie Goldman, Jacob Martin, and Deatrich Wise Jr.
The team did not address the defensive line during the NFL Draft, opting instead to bolster the defense with cornerback Trey Amos in the second round and linebacker Kain Medrano in the sixth.
The Commanders’ futures odds improved slightly following the announcement. They moved from fifth (+950) in odds to win the NFC to fourth (+900), and from seventh (+1900) to win the Super Bowl to joint-sixth (+1800).
Miller is 16th in the all-time sacks list with 129.5. He and the Commanders will finalize the contract details before veterans are due at training camp next Tuesday.
