Former Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller is signing with the Washington Commanders, according to a source who spoke to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Miller still needs to complete a physical in order to sign his one-year deal with the team.

Von Miller is the seventh defensive lineman this off-season to agree to a contract with the Commanders. They are looking to make up the production that they will lose with the off-season departure of edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr., who led Washington with 10.5 sacks last year.

DC… What’s good? pic.twitter.com/sVaEtZ8pQ9

— Von Miller (@VonMiller) July 17, 2025

Von Miller is currently the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 129.5 quarterback takedowns across his 15-year career, good for 16th all-time. The eight-time Pro Bowler only needs 3.5 sacks this season to overtake the Giants’ Lawrence Taylor and the Chargers’ Leslie O’Neal, and move into the top 15.

Miller has spent the past three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he has appeared in 36 games. Last year, he recorded six sacks during the regular season despite being suspended for four games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He also forced a key fumble in the Bills’ Divisional Round matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, which was returned 39 yards, resulting in an eventual touchdown.

A smart signing for the Commanders

This addition makes a ton of sense for Washington. With the departures of Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Allen, the Commanders will be losing two of their six best pass rushers from last season. They used free agency to retool their defensive line, which boasts several veterans, including Javon Kinlaw, Eddie Goldman, Jacob Martin, Deatrich Wise, and now Von Miller.

Signing Von Miller is a low-risk, high-reward move. If he doesn’t work out, then they could just let him ride the bench until the season ends and not re-sign him when free agency rolls around. But if he does work out and makes an impact on this team as a pass rusher, then Washington just brought in a guy who had 14 total sacks in the last two seasons that he was fully healthy. Anybody within the Commanders’ organization would sign up for a seven-sack season from Von Miller.

.@VonMiller is headed to D.C. pic.twitter.com/D6abzQph93

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) July 17, 2025

This feels like a trial contract for the future Hall of Famer. Washington will pick and choose the right time to deploy Von Miller throughout the first few weeks of the season. If he shows an ability to consistently get after opposing quarterbacks, then there’s a good chance he will get more playing time. If he’s only able to make his presence felt a couple of times per game, then he’ll probably take the field on third downs or during high-pressure situations.

Realistically, though, we should not expect Von Miller to play every single down on the defensive side of the ball. Hell, I think it’s fair to say he won’t play half of Washington’s defensive snaps this season. Von Miller is a 36-year-old hired gun. He will only see the field when the Commanders’ opponents are forced into obvious passing situations.