Von Miller May Not Be Fully Operational By Week 1

Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN, Von Miller might not be ready for a full workload by week 1 of the regular season.

And that’s okay. As he rehabs and heals from his torn ACL, he’s also gotten leaner in an attempt to get back to his 2012 playing weight of around 255lbs.

Legwold says this:

"Miller has shown, in word and deed so far, he intends on returning to the lineup far closer to the 255-pound mark, where he has said he was during his 18.5-sack season in 2012, than the 270-plus pound mark, where he was when he returned from his suspension last season.Miller, who is working to return from ACL surgery, has looked like he did when he was at his best. The Broncos are confident he could, at minimum, be ready for spot duty in the pass rush by the start of the regular season and perhaps more if things go well in the coming weeks.But a lighter, leaner Miller is what they want to see back in the lineup and that will only help him in his quest to return to his former level of play. Miller has responded to the veteran Ware’s presence and the two should give the Broncos the kind of pass rush they were missing at times last season, even before Miller suffered his season-ending injury in Houston."

The prospect that Miller, like the Death-Star, might not be “fully operational” by week 1, just highlights how important the development of Lerentee McCray and Quanterus Smith has been.

Both young edge players have flashed in OTAs and have received mostly rave reviews. Having Von Miller coming off the bench to rush the passer on 3rd down, at least initially, might not be a bad thing. And it’ll serve to allow him enough time to return to top “Vonster” form.