This star EDGE rusher for the Buffalo Bills has been quiet thus far this season. This Is The Reason.

The Buffalo Bills defense has one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. They are ranked first in quarterback knockdowns, second in sacks, and second in pressures.

They are doing this with one of their best pass rushers on a pitch count this season. Buffalo is being cautious with their star EDGE rusher and avoiding the risk of injury.

The Buffalo Bills signed him during the 2022 offseason.

The Buffalo Bills signed Von Miller to a 6-year, $120 million contract on March 16, 2022.

Miller had a great start to his first season with Buffalo.

Miller started in the first 11 games, recording eight sacks, ten tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, and 27 pressures.

An injury on Thanksgiving ended his season. 

Miller exited their Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions with a knee injury and was expected to be out for at least 2-4 weeks.

Buffalo placed him on injured reserve on December 1. He underwent exploratory surgery on his knee, and the doctors found out that he suffered a season-ending torn ACL.

Who stepped up for the injured Miller?

Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, and Shaq Lawson stepped up for the injured Miller.

Rousseau finished the season with eight sacks, ten tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and 18 pressures.

Epenesa finished the season with 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, ten quarterback hits, and 14 pressures.

How did the pass rush do overall without Miller?

The pass rush wasn’t as good with Miller out of the lineup. Buffalo finished the season with 40 sacks, 142 pressures, and 56 quarterback knockdowns. They were 14th in sacks, 13 in pressures, and 12th in quarterback knockdowns.

Buffalo had four sacks against Miami in the Wild Card and one against Cincinnati in the Divisional.

How did Buffalo Bills approach the offseason?

Buffalo approached the offseason with the plan of not rushing Von Miller’s injury. They signed veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd to a 1-year deal worth up to $9 million.

Miller started the season on the PUP List.

Miller started the 2023 season on the PUP List and missed the first four games. They activated him on October 1.

In the eight games that he has been active, he has not seen much action. He has three pressures, one QB hit, and two tackles. He’s only contributed to 26% of the snaps.

Here’s what head coach Sean McDermott had to say about his approach to playing Miller:

“You never want to push a player. It was a little bit of a different situation. The guys have done such a good job to this point.”

Since the pass rush is doing a good job with Miller on a short leash, they don’t have to worry about him being overworked. Miller doesn’t have an issue seeing limited action:

The Buffalo Bills defense has one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. They are ranked first in quarterback knockdowns, second in sacks, and second in pressures.

What to expect for the rest of the season?

Expect Von Miller to gradually increase his snap counts for the remainder of the season. Once he gets healthier and more comfortable, he will be back to his old self in sacking the quarterback.

Hopefully, Miller doesn’t have any setbacks and can stay healthy for the rest of the season.

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk