The Dallas Cowboys had every reason to be intrigued when they signed Von Miller in free agency last month. He was coming off a season with nine sacks on only 37% of the snaps, and Dallas needed help getting after the quarterback. Add in the veteran presence he brings to a defense with plenty of new faces and two young edge rushers, and the fit looked easy to understand.
Three games in, though, the on-field results have been quiet. Miller still hasn’t recorded a sack, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has just three pressures across 48 total snaps.
That sluggish start brings an earlier comment from Miller back into focus. On his “Free Range w/ Von Miller” podcast earlier this month, he made it clear that Dallas wasn’t bringing him in for gaudy production.
"My contract is what it is," Miller said. They’re not paying me for what I do on the football field.
If I go out there and get eight sacks, 10 sacks, I’m way underpaid. They’re paying me, and my contract is what it is, to be the locker room guy."
Miller’s deal has a base value of $5.5 million and can reach $7.5 million with incentives, and he used that structure to explain his role. He also described himself as a "Hall of Fame" teammate when he joined the Cowboys, and so far he has been visible on the sideline, coaching up Dallas defenders.
That part of the job appears to be happening. The production piece has not.
And for a Dallas defense that has stumbled badly out of the gate, that matters. The pass rush has generated 43 pressures but only two sacks, and 1.5 of those came from Caleb Downs and Jonathan Bullard. Donovan Ezeiruaku is the only Cowboys edge rusher with a sack, and he has just 0.5.
Miller can help with leadership, knowledge and experience. But if he wants to set the tone for this defense, the first step is simple: start finishing plays.
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Cowboys Rookie Defender Made A Strong Case In Brazil
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Overton in particular made a strong case with his work in the game, joining the list of young defenders who helped themselves in a tough setting. Even so, the overall takeaway was familiar for a young group getting its first real taste of NFL pressure: there were encouraging plays to build on, but also clear areas that still need sharpening before any of them can be counted on week after week. [Read more 🡒]