Von Miller will not be on the field when the Buffalo Bills open their season against the New York Jets.
During roster cuts, Miller remained on the Bills’ PUP list. That means he’s set to miss the first four games of the 2023 season. That came after Miller confidently said this offseason that he’d be ready by Week 1.
Even after the disappointing update, Miller said he understood the decision.
“I didn’t have no pride either way it went. Of course I wanted to play. I mean, I’m a football player — I wanted to play,” Miller said. “It wasn’t enough time for football.”
That discrepancy there laid out by Miller was what he said made the difference. The future Hall of Famer put in the work to get cleared by the Jets matchup, and per Miller, he did.
His knee is fixed … but not football-ready. There’s a difference between walking down the street and trying to beat a 300-pound man en route to tackling Aaron Rodgers.
Miller also noted that the decision wasn’t fully in his hands but he accepted the decision made by the Bills, namely general manager Brandon Beane.
Beane laid out his explanation, too.
“There was a chance he would be practicing soon, kind of working his way –he just [is] not quite there,” Beane said via video conference. “We just don’t think he would have been ready to immediately start the season, so we’re just going to try and play it smart. Give him a little bit of extra time.”
For more from Miller on the decision, see the Bills Live clip below:
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