The Green Bay Packers might not admit it, but they needed to do more to upgrade their pass rush.
Future Hall-of-Famer and eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller could've helped, but the Washington Commanders put an end to that possibility. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Commanders are signing Miller to a one-year deal.
Washington has quickly become a significant NFC rival for the Packers after reaching the doorstep of the Super Bowl last season. This is another win-now move for Dan Quinn's club.
We're not going to pretend Miller is still the All-Pro, game-changing pass-rusher who won the Super Bowl MVP award a decade ago, but he can still make a difference.
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Miller isn't an every-snap, full-time starter anymore, but he can thrive in a limited role.
The seven-time All-Pro earned an elite Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade of 84.5 last season, ranking 10th among edge defenders. PFF credited him with more pressures (40) and sacks (6) than every Packers defender not named Rashan Gary.
He was just nine pressures and three sacks shy of Gary, despite playing 249 pass-rush snaps compared to the Packers starter's 432.
Packers miss an opportunity to bolster their pass-rush depth with Von Miller
No, Miller isn't going to start every game and earn All-Pro honors. The best days of his career are behind him. But as he proved last season, Miller can still make a significant impact off the bench. Once playoff football arrives, all it takes is one game-changing play, and Miller has made a career of them.
While Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver could contribute, it's unfair to raise expectations for Day 3 draft picks in their rookie seasons. Green Bay did little else to fix a pass rush that struggled for consistency last term. According to ESPN, the unit finished 26th in pass rush win rate.
Signing Miller wouldn't have hurt the development of their young pass-rushers. If anything, he could've helped them. What a great player to learn from.
Lukas Van Ness could've still competed for a starting job. Sorrell and Oliver could've still been eased in.
Miller would've been an ideal player to sub in when needed, especially in those crucial moments late in the season. That's why the Commanders signed him, and it's a move the Packers may live to regret.