Von Miller praises former Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson after Bills contract

Former Olympic wrestler and current Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Gable Stevenson received praise from eight-time Pro Bowl passer Von Miller.

“When it comes to athletically, physically, he has everything,” Miller said, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk. “When he came in yesterday, I had to try him a little bit, try to grab him a little bit, and he was quick, and he grabbed me, and I see it, I feel it. So he definitely all the athletic abilities in the world.

Stevenson was signed by the Bills on May 31 after being released from his WWE contract. He previously won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won two NCAA Division I national championships in college.

It will be a difficult task for Stevenson to make Buffalo’s regular season team, as he has never played on the defensive line during his athletic career. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 24-year-old laced up a pair of cleats for the first time in his life during a recent practice with the Bills.

At 6’1″, he is also on the shorter side compared to his fellow NFL defensive lineman.

Still, it’s a promising sign that Miller appears to be taking him under his wing. The former Super Bowl MVP revealed that Stevenson contacted him shortly after signing with the team.

“His locker is right next to mine, and right as we signed it, he texted me like, ‘I’m going to be on your hip, my locker is right next to yours.’ I said, “All right, that’s cool.” But it didn’t really hit me until we were talking to him and he was just playing football, learning some of the things we were doing when we were kids,” Miller said, via Smith.

“He must follow an accelerated learning path, which he is capable of doing,” he added.

Even if Stevenson is ultimately unable to make Buffalo’s 53-man roster, he could still earn a spot on the practice squad with a strong performance in training camp.