Getty Bills star Von Miler at Highmark Stadium on October 30, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills are facing calls to bench edge rusher Von Miller, who struggled in Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Miller has had a slow start since returning from an ACL tear, and had trouble putting pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Bills reporter Matt Parrino said the team must consider benching Miller and giving his snaps to defensive end Shaq Lawson instead.
“Brutal series for Von Miller. He can’t be on the field,” Parrino wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Zero impact on this game. Just lean on Shaq Lawson at this point. Chiefs go down the field and score.”
The shaky performance came as Miller was under fire for his arrest in Texas on a charge of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend, an incident that put more pressure on the team to bench Miller.
Bills Have Faced Past Calls to Bench Von Miller
Miller has struggled to make an impact in his eight games this season, making just two total tackles and one quarterback hit with no sacks. He had no stats again through three quarters against the Chiefs, prompting Parrino to call on the team to bench him.
This is not the first time an insider has advised the Bills to move Miller to the sidelines. Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle wrote in November that the Bills need to admit that Miller still hasn’t returned to form from his torn ACL.
“I’ve made this point several times already, but I’ll make it again: No matter what Miller says in his never-ending quest to be positive and upbeat, he was not ready to return to action,” Maiorana wrote. “He wasn’t ready in Week 5 when he debuted against the Jaguars, and he’s not ready six games later, only now we have six games of clear-cut data to prove the point.”
Bills Faced Scrutiny After Von Miller’s Arrest
The Bills came under more pressure last week after Miller’s arrest in Dallas on allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the team planned to let the legal process play out, meaning Miller would remain in the lineup.
“There’s not a lot that I can say. Von is here to be a part of the team,” Beane said. “We’ll let the investigation and we’ll follow the lead of the NFL from that standpoint.”
Jim Nantz details Von Miller’s arrest for “allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend.”
He also said that “The Bills want the legal process to play out” and that “The NFL is not expected to put Miller on the Commissioner’s Exempt List unless formal charges are filed.”
“If you’ve had a player that’s been arrested or something that had an incident, or a staff, anyone, you have to report it to the league, and then there’s a policy in place there depending on what it is,” Beane shared. “(The NFL) obviously put their people on top of it and then communicate back to us the course of action.”
Reporter Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News speculated that Miller’s time in Buffalo could come to an end after the season, especially if he ends up being suspended by the NFL.
“If Miller is suspended by the NFL for violating the terms of the personal conduct policy, the #Bills could then void the remaining guarantees in his contract, which includes his $17.145 million base salary for 2024,” Skurski wrote, adding, “If that happens before the start of next season, the #Bills would see a significant salary cap savings.”