Source: Vet Miller to Commanders on 1-year deal
Bills linebacker Von Miller secures a $1.5 million bonus after his sack of Drake Maye meets his contract incentive. (0:21)
The Washington Commanders are signing veteran defensive end Von Miller, a move designed to bolster their pass rush and increase their ability to close out games on defense.
Miller, who posted two pictures of himself in a Washington jersey on his Instagram account Wednesday night, has recorded 129.5 career sacks to rank 16th on the all-time list. Miller, who still must pass his physical, will sign a one-year deal, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Miller played the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, recording 14 sacks -- eight in his first season and six last year. Washington hopes he can do what he did for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season: serve as a final piece in a Super Bowl title run. The Rams acquired him in a midseason trade, and he then posted five sacks in eight regular-season games and four more in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl win.
In his first 10 years, with the Denver Broncos, Miller had 110.5 sacks and made seven All-Pro teams, including three first teams, and was named to the Pro Bowl eight times -- the last of which occurred after the 2019 season. He was the MVP of Super Bowl 50.
Washington general manager Adam Peters was with Denver when the Broncos selected Miller in the first round of the 2011 draft. Peters left after the 2016 season to join the San Francisco 49ers.
The Commanders' pass rush recorded 43 sacks, 11th best in the NFL last season. However, there were holes in their pass rush: In the four-man rush, Washington ranked 26th with 22 sacks; and in the fourth quarter, the Commanders were 30th with five sacks.
That's partly why quarterbacks posted a fourth-quarter QBR of 74.8 against Washington, fourth highest in the league.
The Commanders had looked at multiple ends in free agency, including DeMarcus Lawrence and Joey Bosa. They had looked at pass rushers in the early rounds of the draft but opted to take offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round and corner Trey Amos in the second.
Washington signed a number of veteran linemen in free agency including ends Deatrich Wise Jr., and Jacob Martin. It also has linebacker Frankie Luvu, who was named second-team All-Pro after finishing with a career-best eight sacks last season.
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