Charting Von Miller’s journey back to the field in 2020
Von Miller hopes to return to the field in 2020. Can it happen?
In a 2020 season that has already seen so many of the Broncos’ key players go down with an injury, Von Miller’s absence perhaps hurts the worst.
This year he had been more keyed in and motivated than ever, with his enduring goals of playoff wins and 200 sacks looming in his mind. All signs were pointing to the 2020 season being one of Von’s best when on the last play in practice his ankle gave out. The state of Colorado ground to a halt.
Initial fears were of a tendon rupture which would have surely ended his season, but news of a peroneal tendon dislocation gave fans a glimmer of hope. Initial reports said a 3-5 month recovery was likely, and in recent weeks even more promising news has come out.
The man himself has now apparently set his goal at a December comeback, and has tweeted out in reference to the ankle injury: “What would Kobe do? That’s what I’m going to do.”
In a football city storied by comebacks, this could become another one of the greats. Von Miller, a 10-year veteran knows the way is difficult, but he’s done it before. In the 2013 season, he tore his ACL nine weeks in and was expected to sit for an entire year. He worked his way back on the field by week one in 2014 and made it to the Pro Bowl. Von is tough, no way around it.
In a September 9th presser, Vic Fangio pointed to hopes that Von could return, and finished his comments with a crucial tidbit.
"“The good thing about his injury is once it’s healed it’s healed. It’s not one of those where he’ll have lingering effects.”Vic Fangio (via Broncos PR)"
That. That right there is the single most important part of all this. The recovery from a peroneal tendon dislocation is cleaner than many others, making returns less of a struggle. While Von was looking to be in the best shape of his life this offseason, he’s still 31 years old, no spring chicken in the NFL. The idea that this won’t become a debilitating long-term issue should be a huge sigh of relief for Broncos Country.
Dr. David Chao, of ProFootballDoc, is a former longtime Team Doctor with the Chargers who has weighed in with his own experiences treating this issue. He points to the case of DE Luis Castillo, who dislocated his peroneal tendon in Week 9 of the 2007 season.
Castillo sat out just six weeks before returning for the last two games of the regular season, and three playoff appearances. His production at that time? Three sacks, five tackles for loss, and four QB hits. Obviously, these are two different athletes and the goalposts with Von have been set at 3 months, but Castillo’s case proves that pass rushers can come off this injury and tear it up on the field.
The key here is to not rush him back onto the field, but when he does return things can be done to improve his effectiveness. The peroneal ankle tendons wrap around the foot, and mobility here is crucial for sack artists like Von who cash their checks shooting off the snap in a 2-point stance.
Von has traditionally lined up over the RT, but this injury is on his left side so it may be wise to line him up on the blindside where his right foot will be the plant.
He’s hoping to be back by December and considering that we open the month facing off Patrick Mahomes in Arrowhead Stadium, having him out there would be a welcome sight. The Broncos face an uphill battle as this merry band of replacements do their best to keep our 2020 hopes alive, but news that Von is working hard to get back should serve as an inspiration to this young team.
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It is still possible that Fangio & Co will bring in pass-rush help, but Jeremiah Attaochu and Malik Reed have shown promise as stewards across from Bradley Chubb. Despite the rash of bad injury news we’ve seen in recent weeks Broncos Country should find hope in Von’s outlook as we await the return of the king.