The timing of the Von Miller signing makes it easy to forget that he is, in fact, a Dallas Cowboy. Roster cuts were front and center for the entirety of August, and Miller joined right before the team departed Oxnard for its final week of training camp.
A DeSoto native who lives in Texas during the offseason and starred at Texas A&M Aggies, it's fitting that Miller joined the Cowboys for what could be his last season in the NFL.
Miller's presence is going to benefit Dallas on the field and behind the scenes. But what exactly will his role be in the new-look pass rush room? Miller peeled back the curtain on his Free Range podcast (h/t Brandon Loree, Blogging The Boys).
"... Now it's like the reverse DeMarcus Ware effect," Miller said. "I get to go to the Dallas Cowboys, work with all the young guys and pay all the information that he (Ware) gave me forward."
"... My contract is what it is. They’re not paying me for what I do on the football field. If I go out there and get 8 sacks, 10 sacks, I’m way underpaid. They’re paying me, and my contract is what it is to be the locker room guy, to be a great teammate...”
There you have it, folks.
Von Miller spells out his expected role with the Dallas Cowboys
While not a major revelation, Miller confirmed that the Cowboys are paying him to be a role player and veteran mentor. That's been the expectation all along, but it's interesting to hear Miller downplay expectations regarding his production.
Miller inked a one-year, $5.5 million contract with Dallas. He was guaranteed $3 million at the time of signing, and he can make up to $7.5 million through incentives.
Here's a look at some Cowboys who have a higher base salary than Miller's $1.3 million (via OverTheCap):
- P Bryan Anger - $3.1 million
- FB Hunter Luepke - $2 million
- QB Sam Howell - $2 million
- S Markquese Bell - $1.5 million
- DT Jonathan Bullard - $1.5 million
- C Cooper Beebe - $1.33 million
That kind of says it all. Each player, with the exception of Beebe, of course, is expected to be a role player. Luepke, Bell, and potentially Bullard will all play more snaps than Miller this season.
And there's nothing wrong with that. Miller turned 37 in March and has had multiple injury-shortened seasons in the second half of his career.
The Cowboys just need Von Miller to be a productive role player and a leader behind the scenes
By and large, the Commanders are not a franchise to emulate, but they mapped out a redeemable plan for Miller last season.
While injuries forced him to play more than expected, he still logged just 37 percent of the defensive snaps and 420 total snaps, per PFF (289 pass-rush, 119 run-defense, and 12 coverage). His 420 total snaps would have ranked 13th on Dallas last year, but his 289 pass-rush snaps would've ranked second among Cowboys edge rushers.
In a perfect world, Miller hovers around 350 total snaps and 220 pass-rush reps this season. That would cleanly slot him behind Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku while keeping him in line with rotational pieces like Malachi Lawrence and James Houston.
If Miller finishes the year with 8 to 10 sacks, great. But raw QB takedowns shouldn't be the sole measure of his impact. While sacks still matter, pressures, pass-rush win rate, and how effective he is setting the edge -- an increasingly underrated part of his game as he's aged -- will paint a far clearer picture.
If he holds his ground in those areas, Miller's real value will come from his impact as a player-coach. If he delivers, the Cowboys will have gotten a bargain, and Miller will get to say, "I told you so."
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