While it might seem, on the surface, like the Washington Commanders don’t plan on rushing the passer with any efficiency in 2025, we can ask ourselves if it’s fine giving them the benefit of the doubt.
So what if the Commanders let their sacks leader in 2024 walk out the door and return to an NFC East rival when Dante Fowler signed with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency? So what if they traded away 2 first round picks in 2023 when they shipped Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers and Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears?
While the “Everything Will Work Out Eventually” scenario might be appealing to some, it’s not befitting a Super Bowl contender — which the Commanders very much are — and making a move sooner than later would be smart.
Even if the Commanders plan on taking an edge rusher in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, that’s rolling the dice one of the elite players will still be available at No. 29 overall. That means the Commanders should strike now and sign free agent edge rusher and former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller.
Miller was released in a salary cap move by the Buffalo Bills on March 9 and could likely be brought to Washington with something in the range of a 1-year, $10 million contract.
” … Miller could be an asset,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote on April 4. “He logged six sacks while playing just 33 percent of the defensive snaps in Buffalo last season.”
Miller Nearing End of Hall of Fame Career
Miller, 36 years old, is headed into his 15th NFL season and is already one of the most accomplished defensive players in the history of the game and a lock to be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
The No. 2 overall pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, Miller led the Broncos to a win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 and was named Super Bowl MVP. Miller finished that game with 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pass deflection and 6 tackles — widely regarded as one of the greatest individual performances in Super Bowl history.
Miller, who was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2010s, is also a 7-time NFL All-Pro, 8-time Pro Bowler and won another Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams following the 2021 season. He’s also one of the highest paid players in NFL history, with approximately $191.7 million in career earnings through the end of the 2024 season.
Miller has been with the Bills since 2022, when he signed a 6-year, $120 million free agent contract but has missed 15 games with injuries over the last 3 seasons.
Commanders Doubled Down on Offense in ’25 Cycle
The Commanders have put most of the emphasis on adding talent on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. Most notably, they added wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in a pair of blockbuster trades.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Commanders’ one big move has been signing defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 million free agent contract — widely thought of as one of the worst deals to come out of free agency.
