“My knee was never in a place where I could go”

Most Buffalo Bills fans thought Von Miller wasn’t in top shape heading into the 2023 NFL season. But on Thursday, he revealed that his surgically repaired knee was actually in poor health.

Denver Broncos great Von Miller is on a fast track to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. An eight-time Pro Bowler, he’s one of the best pass rushers of this century and has two Super Bowl titles to his name. That’s why there was so much excitement when the Bills signed him ahead of the 2022 season.

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Unfortunately, his first season with the franchise was cut short after just 11 games due to a torn ACL. Such an injury often requires a year to recover and return to his previous athletic levels. However, it seems like the 35-year-old needed much more than that to become an impact player again. That never happened at any point during last season.

“(Being benched) is probably what should have happened, but I didn’t want that to happen,” Miller said after practice Thursday (h/t) ESPN). “I wanted to be on the field and play. If I was at 50 percent, nobody was going to stop me from going out there. (Bills general manager Brandon) Beane wasn’t; nobody was going to stop me from going out there.

• Von Miller Statistics (Career): 173 games, 564 tackles, 123.5 sacks, 22 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions

“But to be honest with you, my knee wasn’t at a level where I could go and move and do the things I wanted to do. I could play, but that was about it.”

His honesty is commendable. However, being an unofficial decoy and not posing a real threat in defense ended up costing him dearly as the team progressed and opponents realized he wasn’t close to 100%.

Von Miller played in 12 games last season (none as a starter) and had a career-low three tackles and no sacks. He averaged at least eight or more in each of the previous eight seasons.

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