For numerous seasons, the Buffalo Bills appear to have been on the verge of collapse. They only need one more step to reach the Super Bowl. Another chance comes in 2024, and roster changes may prompt the Bills to seek for potential trade prospects during the 2024 training camp season.
Keeping in mind that the goal is to find a trade candidate rather than a player the team needs or should move, edge rusher Von Miller leads the list. Miller will be joined by tight end Dawson Knox and linebacker Nicholas Morrow.
First, let us outline the primary factors for considering a Miller trade. He’s 35 years old, coming off a subpar season, and his objective is to win the Super Bowl.
Don’t the Bills need Von Miller to win it all?
That’s a plausible narrative. When you have a player who has “been there,” it can aid in critical situations where huge plays are required. Miller is undoubtedly a postseason asset.
Let’s take a look at his recent performances. Miller got only eight sacks in 2019, after five years of double-digit totals. After missing all of 2020 due to an ankle injury, he returned with a 9.5 in 2021.
In 2022, he had eight sacks in his first season with the Bills. Last year, despite playing in 12 games, he did not record a sack. Now, Miller will tell everyone that he should not have participated in 2023. He told si.com that he was injured the entire season and is currently rehabilitating from a damaged ACL in 2022.
“It’s crazy how you get injured, and you come back, and you really shouldn’t have even been playing, and people judge you by a product on the field,” Miller pointed out.However, how can a player be judged other than by their performance on the field? Is he arguing that the Bills’ medical team failed him and should not have allowed him play?
Miller went on to say, “I could have easily missed the entire season last year, but I couldn’t do that to my teammates. I thought that being later in my career, I didn’t want to waste any of my years. But at the same time, I should not have gone out there. To be honest, I feel like people are evaluating me based on it, which makes me angry.
However, the Bills did not achieve where they hoped to be in 2023.
So Miller wants everyone to believe that his 12-game sack-free season benefited his teammates. He did it for them. Shouldn’t he have sat out and let a younger, healthier player to accumulate those stats? In other words, Miller is claiming that his mere presence on the field, regardless of his performance, benefits the team. Come on. In the NFL?
Miller’s lack of self-accountability and strong sense of self-worth are not characteristics that help a team win games. Yes, NFL players frequently “gut it out” and play injured. It’s an admirable trait in the short term. Not for twelve games.
Consider how this would work out at the quarterback position. Assume Josh Allen played through a similar ailment and threw zero touchdown passes in 12 games. If Allen followed Miller’s example, he would be “angry” at those who criticized his lack of production at the end of the season.
Miller claimed to be a team player while making it about himself. You cannot have it both ways. However, if you try, another organization may be able to use you.
Consider how much pirate booty the Bills could get in exchange for Miller. Looking at the receiver room, Buffalo could do better with Allen. Unless rookie Keon Coleman becomes an instant success, the Bills do not appear to be strong at that position.
Yes, Dalton Kincaid should make a difference from his tight end position. But Buffalo requires another wide receiver weapon. Miller might be the deal bait.
Having said that, the Bills are under no obligation to trade Miller. Perhaps he has one more Pro Bowl season left, despite the fact that his last was in 2019. And if the old Miller shows up at the right times this season, the Bills might just climb over the hurdle.
TE Dawson Knox has trade value too.
Only three seasons ago, Knox’s monster exploits put him on the NFL tight end map. He grabbed 49 passes for 587 yards and, perhaps most importantly, scored nine touchdowns. He had another successful year in 2022, earning 517 yads and six touchdowns. However, he did not play a significant role in the offense previous year, having only appeared in 12 games.
Knox was reduced to a supporting role after Kincaid emerged. However, other teams may consider the value to be worth a moderate trade offer. The Bills have a problem with Knox because of his starting tight end contract. The four-year, $52 million contract isn’t ideal for a backup.
The former third-round pick is 27 years old, so he could have two or three productive seasons left. That is especially true if he is able to secure a starting position again.
LB Nicholas Morrow could participate in trade negotiations.
If the Bills keep Miller, they could trade him for another linebacker. Nicholas Morrow is in his sixth season in the league, however he has played for four different teams in the last four years.
He’s traveled extensively, yet he stays on the field. Every season, he has played 14 or more games, including four occasions where he played 16 or more. In 2022, he recorded 116 tackles for the Bears. He also recorded 95 tackles and three sacks for the Eagles last season.
The Bills added a bunch of linebackers this year, with Terrel Bernard, Baylon Spector, and Matt Milano returning. Morrow was brought in as insurance for Milano, who suffered a leg injury last season. Depending on Milano’s recovery, Morrow may become a trade candidate once the season begins.
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