Washington is adding a major veteran at a key position of need. After deciding not to draft a pass rusher back in April, the Commanders have moved to add a proven veteran. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, veteran pass rusher Von Miller is signing with the Commanders. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tells us that it’ll be a one-year deal for the 36-year-old, once terms are finalized. 
After parting ways in recent years with former first-round picks Montez Sweat and Chase Young, Washington depended on a pair of former Cowboys in Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. for most of their pass rushing sets in 2024. The latter of two led the Commanders in sacks last year with 10.5 but returned to Dallas on a one-year deal in free agency back in March.
The only additions Washington made to cancel out the loss of Fowler were those of former Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise, who averages about 4.5 sacks per season and topped out at 7.5 back in 2022, and former Bears outside linebacker Jacob Martin. The team showed interest in bigger names like DeMarcus Lawrence and Joey Bosa, as well, but ultimately fell short landing either.
Edge rusher was identified as a major need for Washington leading into the 2025 NFL Draft, but this year’s crop of prospects was not viewed as a strong one, past No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter. Nevertheless, by the time the Commanders’ first pick came around, three more pass rushers had been taken off the board, with Atlanta trading three spots ahead of Washington to take their second pass rusher that night, further weakening the caliber of available prospects at the position.
The team never ended up finding a prospect at an appropriate value with their remaining four picks, leaving them to enter the 2025 season with Armstrong as a returning starter across from Wise with Martin and Clelin Ferrell coming off the bench as the primary backups. It looked like Washington was set to head into training camp with a downgraded pass rushing group, but the addition of Miller has the potential to keep that from being the case.
True, Miller has not been the double-digit sack-getter we know him as for years now; he hasn’t passed 9.5 since 2018. Still, much of that has been due to either health or role. In 2021, splitting time between two different defenses, Miller collected 9.5 sacks in 15 starts. The next season, his first in Buffalo, Miller started 11 games, racking up 8 sacks. In both cases, he was likely to reach double-digits if he played the full allotment of games in a season.
The following two years in Buffalo, though, Miller lost his role as a starter. In fact, Miller fell to fifth in the pecking order in 2023, seeing snaps in only 12 games (no starts) behind Leonard Floyd, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, and Shaq Lawson and getting zero sacks, as a result. In 2024, though, with Floyd and Lawson elsewhere, Miller thrived as the first pass rusher off the bench, tallying six sacks in 13 games (no starts).
It’s hard to say that Miller will certainly come in and start over Wise at his age. If he can come in and start, though, he’s likely to amass more sacks than Wise would in the same snap share, despite the age gap. Even if Miller ends up just working as the first pass rusher off the bench for the second year in a row, six sacks would’ve been good for third on the Commanders defense last season. It’s an easy risk to take for the Commanders, as it likely only cost them a cheap, one-year contract laden with incentives they’ll happily pay if it means they get strong contributions from the 36-year-old.
The move reunites Miller with senior defensive assistant John Pagano, who was his outside linebackers coach in Denver for a short time, and general manager Adam Peters, who was a scout for the Broncos when the team drafted Miller in 2011. He also stands a chance at being one of two starters on the defense north of 35 years old alongside veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner. One would be hard pressed to find a team with an older pair of defensive starters, assuming Miller starts.
Makes sense. Even if he’s a shell of his former self, that team desperately needed another body on the edge.
Pretty much all he was the last two years, a body only trying to pad his career stats and bank account (no team player).
I get that Bills fans are bitter about him, which I get based on that contract, but based on the Commanders’ roster, he can contribute. I mean, we’re talking about filling the shoes of a Dante Fowler here.
Commanders turning into the retirement home
George Allen would approve 🙂
Stirring up echoes of the Washington Redskins’ “Over the Hill Gang”.
Also this post says “Edge rusher was identified as a major need for Washington leading into the 2025 NFL Draft, but this year’s crop of prospects was not viewed as a strong one, past No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter.”
This is a bizarre claim. Three more edge rushers went in the first round (plus Jalon Walker, who some see as one) and another four went in the second. And Landon Jackson, and Princely Umanmielen easily could have gone in the first two rounds. This class was full of edge talent. Washington just didn’t have that many draft picks (and I think Conerly and Amos were very sensible choices).
We need the tackle from Washington though. Lol
He is just a guy now as age and injuries took a hit on him. Washington knows they need to maximize the roster while Daniels is on rookie deal. Von isn’t a final piece though.
Who is that piece that’s available?
Won’t really know until this season, think they caught a lot of teams by surprise last year. They played well but now no one will take them lightly on the schedule.
Dan Snyder would have given him 5 years/100 million.
The oldest team in the NFL just got older
Or the most experienced team just got more experience
This guy is getting paid again somehow. Best agent of all time. This guy hasn’t played meaningful snap in 4 years
Blame the Bills for giving him that ridiculous deal. It was head scratching when they offered it because he had clearly began to slow down before the trade to the Rams, but he was still good on a pitch count, which remained true in Buffalo.
Hard to say he was slowing down based oin his performance before the injury, and then the domestic violence allegations. Either his rehab didn’t go as expected or he gave up ttrying. A shell of himself last year
I like the fit. You need guys like that in your locker room on such a young team who have been to the top, but DQ will know how to use him better than McDermott did in spot duty to get maximum value out of his pass rush skills, which are still very good on a pitch count even at this age. Just look at how he got the most out of Fowler outside of his time playing on the same line with Aaron Donald and Suh, which is always self-explanatory.
Washington is the oldest roster in the NFL (by almost a full year). They are not a young team.
That will give Von plenty of teammates to sing “Glory Days” with at the Kareoke bar.
Von Miller is an OLB in a 3-4 defense. I thought Quinn plays a 4-3? If I’m wrong my bad. If I’m right it doesn’t exactly make him a great fit does it? At this point in his career he’s probably just a low end rotational piece. Why people in Chicago are crying because he signed with Washington when he doesn’t fit the scheme. Oh well best of luck. He really hasn’t been able to stay on the field much anyway.
Teams don’t spend all that much time in base defenses these days, so being overly concerned about 4-3 versus 3-4 only really makes sense when you’re talking about guys who can truly only fit one system, which isn’t very many. A designated pass rusher can fit any system. Those Seattle teams Quinn came from made good use of Bruce Irvin. Robert Saleh runs a 4-3 base, but he’s gotten good mileage out of wide nine rushers like Will McDonald. Even a system like Chicago’s that prefers oversized defensive end types can still make use of a slimmer pass rusher on passing downs.
Who’s the genius who said the three interested teams were made up? Looking pretty stupid right now huh
He has lost two steps
Unfortunately I’m afraid it was the first two.
Low character man, to a low character team.