Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane suddenly looks like a genius after Thursday Night Football. He released star edge defender Von Miller in the offseason after his disappointing stint in Buffalo plagued by injuries.
Miller signed a one-year deal worth $6.1 million with the Washington Commanders in free agency, jumping from an AFC contender to one in the NFC. He was billed as a major upgrade to Washington's pass rush, a solid veteran who could make an immediate impact.
But as Commanders fans are quickly finding out, the 36-year-old is well past the point of being a reliable presence on defense.
Von Miller shows Commanders why Bills let him go
The Bills brought Miller to Buffalo in what seemed like the prime of his career. He was coming off a dominant Super Bowl run with the Los Angeles Rams, hitting the open market as one of the best defensive players in the league. At the time, the massive six-year deal the Bills handed him just seemed like the price they had to pay for a superstar.
They quickly found out that the veteran was not the steady contributor they had hoped for. After a solid start with the team, he suffered an ACL injury that would send the rest of his career on a downward trajectory. The edge rusher still made an impact in moments for the Bills, but he wasn't the All-Pro they paid for. Just three years into his massive contract, Buffalo decided to cut ties.
Whether by name recognition or hope for a bounce-back year, Miller still commanded some attention in free agency. The Commanders scooped him up, making him the apparent replacement for Dante Fowler Jr., who posted double-digit sacks last season. But Washington is coming to realize that their new signing isn't as reliable as he once was.
In two games with the Commanders, the veteran has produced two total tackles and half a sack. He looks like a quality rotational player, but not an ace pass rusher like Washington might have hoped. He seems to be on a limited snap count, getting most of his work on third downs. The Commanders saw the need for a solid presence on the edge in their prime time matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Their defense was unable to consistently affect Jordan Love, and the Packers QB made them pay for it with multiple explosive passes down the field.
The Bills might not have the most dangerous edge group themselves, but it looks like they were right to let Miller go when they did.