Bills Urged To Replace Von Miller With $3 Million Linebacker

The New England Patriots have already signed a “top candidate” to replace Josh Uche.

Von Miller has begun to find his footing after two shaky seasons with the Buffalo Bills, but it may not be enough to ensure his long-term future in Buffalo.

Miller suffered a torn ACL in his first season with the Bills in 2022, returning last season and struggling to regain his previous form. Miller had a career-worst season with no sacks and just two total tackles, though did increase his production at the conclusion of the season and the playoffs.

Though his production rebounded this season with 4.0 total sacks, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggested the Bills could seize the opportunity to move on from Miller in the coming offseason and find a more affordable replacement.

Bills Urged to Add ‘Good Complementary Piece’

Ballentine suggested the Bills could take a run at linebacker Josh Uche, who was shipped from the New England Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs at this season’s trade deadline. Uche will reach the conclusion of his one-year, $3-million contract after this season and could be a candidate to replace the more expensive Miller.

Ballentine noted that the Bills have already done some house cleaning, parting ways with a number of veteran players last offseason in a bid to free up more cap space.

“The Bills have successfully transitioned from a lot of experienced players this season,” Ballentine wrote. “The safety duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde along with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis immediately come to mind. They weathered those losses and have still managed to be a contender.”

Miller could be next, Ballentine suggested.

“That should give them the confidence to cut Von Miller this offseason,” Ballentine wrote. “They can cut the veteran before June 1 and save $8.5 million against the cap or wait until June 2 to get to $17.5 million in savings. Either way, the Bills could be on the lookout for a pass-rush specialist who could take over Miller’s role. Gregory Rousseau is the main event of the Bills edge-rusher group, but Uche would be a good complementary piece.”

Bills Kept Faith in Von Miller

The Bills have remained solidly behind Miller through his struggles both on the field and off. He was handed a four-game suspension this season after coming under investigation for domestic violence last year.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared praise for Miller before the season, saying he appears to be coming back into form. McDermott also reiterated that Miller was an important part of the team’s defensive line rotation when Miller returned from his suspension in October.

“It’ll be good to have Von back,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “He’s been out for four weeks. Never sure what that brings, right, in terms of staying refined, staying polished, but I’m sure he’s been chomping at the bit to get back. It’ll be nice to have him back. Again, it’s never about one person, right? Especially when you play up front, it’s about the sum of the parts, and it’s about four guys rushing as one, and that’ll be important for us as we move forward as a defense overall.”