Denver Broncos all-time great could return to his elite self on rival AFC team

The Denver Broncos said goodbye to one of the greatest players in their franchise history a few years ago. Does he still have something left in the tank? The answer might be yes. Von Miller was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 NFL Season, and Miller helped fuel LA to a Super Bowl title.

In the 2022 free agency period, Miller signed a long-term deal with the Buffalo Bills and got off to a wicked start before tearing his ACL. The ACL injury was definitely impacting Miller into 2023. He's played 31 regular season games since being traded from Denver.

In those games, he's got 13 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and 23 QB hits. Well, during Bills OTAs, Miller seems to be showing signs of his old self:

"The speed, burst, and bend off the edge is something that just hasn’t looked the same for Miller since he tore his ACL back on Thanksgiving in 2022. He said he couldn’t practice last season without a knee brace, which he’s discarded this offseason and during OTAs. Miller still wants to play a few more seasons, and he showed some signs on Tuesday - albeit in a non-padded practice - that it could be possible.

Miller had two sacks on the day, making life difficult for veteran tackle La’el Collins. He flew off the edge and blew by Collins on his way to landing for a sack on quarterback Josh Allen. Then, later in practice, Miller won on an inside rush against Collins and joined Greg Rousseau at the quarterback for another sack. Rousseau beat Ryan Van Demark on the other side of the line."

- Matt Parrino

Perhaps Von Miller still has quite a bit left in the tank? Let's not forget that to begin 2022 with Buffalo, he had eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 12 QB hits in just 11 games. He was on absolute fire before the ACL injury. With Buffalo otherwise having a very good defensive line, Von Miller still might have something left to prove to the NFL.

He's in his age-35 season, so it's not likely that he will play many more years, but if he can prove that he's still a viable player, there isn't anything stopping him from playing several more years.

Could Von Miller return to his elite self on a Broncos rival team?