Von Miller is heading home. The future Hall of Fame pass rusher agreed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, returning to the state where he grew up and attended DeSoto High School before heading to Texas A&M.
The 37-year-old enters his 15th NFL season with 138.5 career sacks, more than any other active player. He recorded nine sacks last season with the Washington Commanders, his highest single-season total since 2021, when he split time between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.
He posted on social media Sunday night to announce the news, showing himself in Cowboys gear.
What he brings to Dallas
Miller joins a Cowboys pass-rush rotation that already includes Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku and first-round pick Malachi Lawrence, with Sam Williams, James Houston and Marist Liufau also in the mix. The Cowboys do not expect him to be an every-down player, but they believe he can be a difference-maker in new defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s system.
Parker and Miller overlapped briefly in Denver before Miller was traded to the Rams, where he won his second Super Bowl ring. He was named Super Bowl MVP after helping Denver win the title following the 2015 season, a run during which he paired with Cowboys Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware. He viewed Ware as a mentor during his time with the Broncos, and he may now serve that same function for the younger pass rushers coming up through the Cowboys’ depth chart.
The career being brought back to Texas
He was a first-round pick of the Broncos in 2011 and won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He made eight Pro Bowl appearances and was named a first- or second-team All-Pro seven times. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in both 2012 and 2016.
After the Rams and his second Super Bowl ring, Miller signed with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent. He played three seasons in Buffalo, though a torn ACL cost him the final five games of the 2022 season and the first four of 2023. He joined Washington last season and produced nine sacks.
The ACL injury had added uncertainty to his career trajectory that his nine-sack season at 36 went some way toward resolving. A veteran who produces at that level is not going through the motions.
The context of the Cowboys’ offseason
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted at the start of training camp that the team might add a significant defensive piece. The hint came to fruition last week when the team signed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million extension, and it comes to fruition again with Miller’s arrival.
The combination of Williams at defensive tackle and Miller as a pass-rush rotational piece gives new coordinator Parker complementary weapons at two of the most important positions in a defense built around stopping the pass.
What it means to be a Cowboy at home
For Miller, the signing carries personal significance. He is from DeSoto, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, and played college football at Texas A&M before being drafted by Denver. His entire NFL career has been played away from home. Fifteen years later, he is playing for the team whose games he grew up near, in front of fans who knew him before he was Von Miller.
That is not nothing, particularly for a player who knows this is one of the final chapters of his professional career.
