The Dallas Cowboys have more veteran help on the way for their defense. Eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Von Miller is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Cowboys, according to ESPN, which makes the NFC East contenders the destination for one of the top remaining free agents on the market. Miller has been in search of a new team since the expiration of his one-year contract with the Washington Commanders.
Miller spent the first 10 and a half years of his illustrious career with the Denver Broncos, and when the ink dries on his next contract, he will have suddenly been a part of five franchises in six years.
The bouncing from one team to another is one sign that Miller is in the final stages of his career. So, too, is the fact that he almost entirely came off the bench over the last three years. With Rashan Gary locked into one of the starting outside linebacker jobs and Donovan Ezeiruaku emerging in his second year as a situational starter, there is no obvious full-time spot for Miller atop the depth chart.
Miller could fill a similar role to that of Jadeveon Clowney in 2025. Clowney landed in Dallas as a one-year role player on the edge who factored heavily into the rotation, albeit not always among the first 11 players on the field. With Clowney out of the picture this year, the Cowboys developed a clear need for a veteran piece in a young and still in many ways deficient pass-rushing unit.
Even with just three starts across 17 games in his lone campaign with the Commanders, Miller racked up nine sacks last year, which was good for his greatest single-season total since 2018. If he can replicate that kind of late-career production in Dallas, he could be instrumental in the Cowboys making much-needed strides on his side of the ball.
The Cowboys ranked 26th last year in sack rate and surrendered more pass yards (4,521) than any team in the NFL. Bringing one of the greatest pass rushers of all time into the mix to help address the glaring weakness could prove mightily helpful, even as Miller nears the end of his career.
Cowboys continue edge rusher overhaul
Dallas’ pass-rushing unit has been in flux since last summer’s shocking trade that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The team’s resistance to paying Parsons a premium cost the defense a superstar and contributed mightily to the immense struggles that plagued the Cowboys and overshadowed an extremely prolific offense.
Since that trade, owner/general manager Jerry Jones has made a number of moves to rebuild the group he dismantled. While it remains below par, the foundation is in place for the edge rusher group to become formidable. Ezeiruaku is a promising second-year talent, Malachi Lawrence arrives as a first-round pick with tremendous potential, Jaishawn Barham could settle in as an edge rusher following his selection in the third round, and veterans Miller and Rashan Gary will help keep the group afloat in the meantime.
