by Von Miller knows a capable edge rusher when he sees one.
With 124.5 career sacks and a Super Bowl MVP award to his name, the Buffalo Bills defensive end is more than qualified to talk about such matters.
When he joined the Bills in 2022, Miller quickly saw the potential in the play of 2021 first-round draft pick Greg Rousseau. Now, he’s seeing that translate into results on the field.
Rousseau made three tackles on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in Buffalo’s 34-28 win in Week 1 and was subsequently named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. The season opener followed an impressive training camp this summer.
“It’s starting to sprout. Two years later, it’s starting to sprout,” Miller said Tuesday. “He’s made some strides. He had a lot of good rushes last year. Even though they didn’t lead to sacks, he had a lot of good rushes.”
In 2023, Rousseau recorded 5.0 sacks in 16 games, while recording a career-high 18 quarterback hits. He totaled 12 tackles-for-loss.
“I always knew he was one of the best defensive ends in the league. Like I said after the game, there’s only about five of them and he’s one of them. To go out there and prove it in Week 1, three sacks out of the gate, I think that’s a huge confidence boost,” Miller said.
Miller is finally looking his best after suffering an ACL tear in 2022 and has had a productive working relationship with the 24-year-old Rousseau. The two-time Super Bowl champion had the Bills’ fourth sack on Sunday.
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“I sit next to him in the conference room. We see the same thing. We speak the same language. I see what he sees. He sees what I see,” said Miller, who is likely to be selected on the first ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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