Bills star wants to be ready for season opener after ACL injury
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller fully intends to be ready for the team's season opener against the New York Jets as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that ended his 2022 season.
Miller made the comments to 9News in Denver on Thursday and called back to his previous recovery from a torn ACL and his experience with that process.
“You know I love guarantees,’’ Miller said. “It’s me, it’s Von. I love guarantees. I want to play. In 2013, I had (ACL) surgery in January and I played at the beginning of August in the preseason. So that put me around seven months, eight months.
“And 10 years removed from that, 2023, I have a whole new outlook. I know exactly where I’m supposed to be at two months, four months, six months and in the position where I’m at now, I feel great, I feel comfortable. I feel like I’ll be ready to go at the start of the season."
Miller did admit that the decision is not totally up to him and that the team's medical staff, front office and coaching staff will ultimately have the final decision.
He said if it is not Week 1, then definitely by Week 6.
Miller signed with the Bills prior to the 2022 season with the hopes that he could be one of the missing pieces to a Super Bowl puzzle in Buffalo. For much of the season, he looked to be exactly that. In his first 11 games he recorded eight sacks and was a key part of a Bills team that looked to be a Super Bowl front-runner.
Then he was injured in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, prematurely ending his season.
The Bills pass rush took a significant hit without him in the lineup and was never quite the same during the stretch run of the regular season or the playoffs.
With Miller and safety Damar Hamlin both looking to return this season, that should be two significant lifts to the defense. Combined with Buffalo's offense led by Josh Allen at quarterback, the Bills will open the 2023 season Super Bowl favorites again.
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