The Buffalo Bills announced major injury news regarding one of their star pass rushers on Tuesday ahead of their 53-man roster deadline Tuesday afternoon. The report is a welcome sight for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Bills on Monday Night Football.
The Buffalo Bills will be without Von Miller for at least four games
According to Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, the Bills are expected to keep Von Miller on the reserve/PUP list while he recovers from the torn ACL injury he suffered last season. That means Miller will miss the Bills’ key early matchup with the Jets in Week 1 and three more games afterward.
The #Bills are planning to have star pass-rusher Von Miller begin the season on the reserve/PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL, source said. He’s out the first four games. pic.twitter.com/sqc6YOEDSE
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2023
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets catch a break
The timing couldn’t be better for the Jets. The offensive line has been suggested to be their Achilles Heel this season, as the rest of the roster looks spectacular after trading for Rodgers this spring. The Jets have been rumored to be in the trade market for help on the offensive line, and the team even discussed attempting to go after Packers star left tackle David Bakhtiari this year.
That trade isn’t on the horizon, but other moves could be coming.
Per WSH Media files, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said the team would be open to making changes to the line:
Rich Cimini with ESPN wrote about the offensive line in a report Sunday. Cimini thinks the offensive line (including the tackle spot) is the Jets biggest weakness heading into the season. Saleh has expressed the Jets have time to experiment with the lineup and make their current roster for offensive line work.
But Saleh, like any NFL coach, wants to see the results sooner rather than later.
Cimini dropped a quote from Saleh that alludes to him and the front office considering using alternative methods, like, say, a trade, to improve the offensive line:
“My optimistic side will say we have time,” Saleh said. “Duane is coming back, there’s still a lot of pieces and we’ve got some cards in our back pocket that we can use. But as a coach, you want it done yesterday.”
The Jets haven’t appeared to improve upfront nearly enough during their final preseason appearance to calm down talk about potential trades. Rodgers was still pressured by the New York Giants’ defense in their preseason finale, even as the Jets’ offense called for quick passes.
Miller’s absence from the Jets’ Week 1 matchup will give the Jets’ offensive line a chance to gel in their first regular season game without the added pressure of trying to block an All-Pro pass rusher.
Miller’s absence is good for the Green Bay Packers too
Green Bay Packers fans should be relieved by the news as well. The Packers need Rodgers to reach 65 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps in order to claim the Jets 2024 first-round pick. Miller going against a struggling Jets offensive line would put Rodgers at greater risk of sustaining an injury that would jeopardize the pick.
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