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Bills' Von Miller expects to avoid PUP list, participate in training camp with ACL 'all healed up'

Callie Lawson-Freeman
Contributing writer
·2 min read
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Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) addresses the media following an NFL football practice in Orchard Park, N.Y., Tuesday May 23, 2023. (AP/ Photo Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller says he's ready to get back on the field for training camp after tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving Day last season. He's also expecting to avoid the physically unable to perform list when the NFL season starts in September.

"I have good information from my doctor and my knee is all healed up," Miller said via Ryan O'Halloran of Buffalo News. "It's all about me and how confident I can be [over] the next three months."

If Miller were to appear on the PUP list when the season opens, he would be required to miss a minimum of four games. Prior to the start of the 2022 season, he would have been forced to miss six games.

Miller's previous recovery bolstered his expectation for a timely return. While his aim to start Week 1, earlier this month he promised a Week 6 return at the latest, according to 9News' Mike Klis.

“You know I love guarantees,’’ he said. “It’s me, it’s Von. I love guarantees. I want to play. In 2013, I had [ACL] surgery in January and I played at the beginning of August in the preseason. So that put me around seven months, eight months.

Now, the eight-time Pro Bowler says he feels "comfortable" and has a "whole new outlook." With his remodeled mindset, he has shifted his focus toward "transitioning back into a football player and not just a guy who is rehabbing and getting my leg strong," he said.

After the Bills signed Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract last offseason, he recorded eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss through 11 games. With his updated recovery timeline, it appears he's set to reunite with former Los Angeles Rams teammate Leonard Floyd sooner than we might have guessed.

Floyd, who notched at least nine sacks in each of his past three seasons, was signed to the Bills on a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $9 million on Tuesday.

It has been a month of good news for Bills fans. The team also saw safety Damar Hamlin's full participation at OTAs. He's a few months removed from suffering cardiac arrest on the field when was hit in the chest while trying to make a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.