The Dallas Cowboys are signing Von Miller. That is a real sentence, people.
Whatever you think of Von these days it feels fair to say that you can at least agree that this is an exciting thing. The Cowboys are very much awake and alert, and Von’s presence is the latest proof of that.
Miller is one of the most decorated players of his generation and has two Super Bowls to his name, not to mention Super Bowl 50 MVP honors, to prove it. He can significantly help the Cowboys in a number of ways which is why the move is so exciting.
Here are 3 reasons that are specifically interesting in the exciting department.
Von has been there and done that
The Cowboys have spent all of this season (since training camp began) talking about how they are proud to have Super Bowl aspirations. Simply put, they are confident in themselves and good for them that they are.
Through all of the franchise’s recent missteps and misgivings they have not really had someone around who has climbed to the top of the NFL’s mountain. Dallas has failed, we all can admit this, and they have failed as a group of equal novices. No one was around to keep things in check when the going got tough.
My point isn’t that Von Miller can singlehandedly save the day if times get tough in a playoff game, but he knows how treacherous those roads can be. That wisdom is invaluable to a team who isn’t being shy about going where he has been.
Von doesn’t have to be VON MILLER here
It goes without saying that Von Miller is not the player that he once was. Okay. So?
The Cowboys have Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku to manage their pass rushing needs from a priority standpoint. When they are subbed out Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark will help make life as easy as they can for the reserve players, and it is at this point in time that the mercenary known as Von Miller can strike.
We saw Jadeveon Clowney sort of take advantage of this role last year, and that was on a team that was very much up a creek in terms of the total defensive effort. Von simply has to help raise the ceiling for the Cowboys. He can chase that with this team. The foundational elements are taking care of the floor.
This will help the young players significantly
The Cowboys signed Von Miller just one day after Malachi Lawrence did not set the world on fire in his NFL debut. If you were expecting Malachi to do anything special then maybe you need to reassess what’s fair from an expectation standpoint.
But now Malachi gets to learn from Von Miller. So does Donovan Ezeiruaku, and so does James Houston. Heck, so does Rashan Gary. Von is a rising tide that is going to lift all boats and provide an important mentor for the pass rushers in the way that Jason Peters did on the other side of the trenches back in Tyler Smith’s rookie season.
It isn’t every day that a future Hall of Famer joins the group and offers his services both on the field and in the classroom. The Cowboys now have that in Von Miller.