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While the Buffalo Bills mourn the loss of superstar edge rusher Von Miller, who discovered after undergoing exploratory surgery that he did tear his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season, quarterback Josh Allen gave the media a message of hope on Wednesday, December 7.
Allen has remained coy about the possibility of the Bills signing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who had his official free agency visit with the team over the weekend. But following the news about Miller, who’s been publicly campaigning to bring Beckham to Buffalo since before the seasons started, it seems Allen is taking up the reins.
“I’m not sure where he’s at in his decision-making process,” Allen told reporters about the Beckham sweepstakes on Wednesday, per Batavia Daily’s Alex Brasky. “I think we’re all still waiting. I got a chance to hang out with him and show him how Buffalo Bills vibe together and hang out. Hopefully, he appreciates that…Hopefully, we hear some good news here.”
Allen boldly expressing a desire to sign the veteran receiver speaks volumes. The Bills’ front office likely sought out Allen’s view on adding Beckham, and if their $258 million quarterback wasn’t keen on the idea, it’s highly unlikely Buffalo would’ve pushed to recruit him.
While Miller’s absence could act as a deterrent to Beckham deciding to sign with the Bills, as the three-time Pro Bowler is also being courted by the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, Allen noted that “Miller plans to come back to Buffalo as soon as he can to be with the Bills,” per The Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski.
Losing Miller, who before getting injured recorded 8 sacks, 18 solo tackles and a forced fumble, is obviously a crushing blow for the Bills’ defense. But having the eight-time Pro Bowler present during practice, on the sidelines as a mentor and coach will be an invaluable resource for the young guys needing to step up in his absence.
While the jury is still out on whether Beckham will be able to contribute this season, as he’s still rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered during 2022 Super Bowl in February, the prospect of having both the sought-after receiver and the two-time Super Bowl champ healthy for next year would offer the franchise a huge boost on both offense and defense.
Allen Discussed His Pitch to OBJ During a Podcast Appearance
Allen became the first player to speak out about Beckham’s visit to Buffalo on the December 6 episode of “Kyle Brandt’s Basement.” “That would be really, really cool,” Allen said of Beckham becoming his teammate.
During Beckham’s visit, which included a four-course dinner by Allen’s private chef, “I got to hang out with him a little bit and give him the best shpiel,” he said. “I know there’s reports of him committing today or tomorrow, I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but I think everybody would welcome that. Obviously, you can never have too many weapons on a team and I think his track record speaks for itself.”
“If he stays in the game last year, he’s the Super Bowl MVP and it’s looking a whole lot different this year for him,” Allen continued. “I gave him some tidbits of what I could foresee happening with him on the field. He wants to win football games. He wants to win Super Bowls. I think he understands what bringing a Super bowl to western New York would mean to Bills Mafia would mean and I think that excites him. So, we’ll see.”
Allen’s comments about Beckham’s visit were similar to those of Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who was the first coach to comment publicly about the 30-year-old receiver’s trip to Orchard Park.
“The biggest thing is, obviously, he’s a heck of a player,” Dorsey said. “But, we feel like we’ve got a lot of great players on our team, and anytime you can create opportunities, create problems for defenses, you’re always looking at ways to do that. Different ways to attack defense, whether it’s personnel or scheme. So that would be another part of that, but at the same time, we’ve really been so happy with the guys that are here, with what they’re doing. It would just be another piece to add to an already really strong group.”
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beckham will make a final decision on whether he’ll join the Cowboys, Giants or Bills by “mid-week.”
Allen Spoke to Miller After His Surgery
While Allen appears to be in the dark when it comes to Beckham’s final decision, he was one of the only players who know about Miller’s surgery before the news broke on Wednesday. Bills reporter Maddy Glab tweeted, “Allen says he talked to Von Miller yesterday after his surgery. Allen says the injury ‘sucks’ and they wish he was out there with the group, adds they’ll come together and try to make up for the loss as much as possible.”
For the bulk of the team, the breaking news came as a surprise. WROC-TV’s Thad Brown tweeted, “Shaq Lawson said #Bills players found out about the Von Miller injury on Twitter, same as everyone else.”
On a positive note, the Bills’ general manager is confident Miller will a huge contributor next year. “We believe with successful surgery and rehab we’ll have Von Miller back for most of 2023,” Brandon Beane said, per One Bills Live host Chris Brown.
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