Von Miller’s Cowboys Usage Raises a Question

I want more from Von Miller, but I’m having a hard time deciding if that frustration belongs solely on him.

Through the first four games, Von Miller has played 62 defensive snaps for the Cowboys, or 15.5 per game. Last season in Washington, he played 24.7 snaps a game. Before he is written off completely, we need to see why that workload has dropped and if an increase is beneficial.

My years as a detective taught me to not draw any conclusions until you have all the evidence in front of you and then let the evidence take you to the answer, not your opinions. But we are all human and those assumptions sneak in.

I came into this thinking Miller probably needed more snaps, and there is evidence supporting that idea, but a low snap count doesn’t account for everything.

How Many Chances is Von Miller Getting?

I found that Von Miller played 11 defensive snaps against the Giants, 21 versus Washington, 16 against Baltimore, and 14 against Houston.

I first thought those limited snaps covered nearly all the situations Dallas wanted him for, but if he was getting enough work in passing down situations, those snaps wouldn’t bother me much.

The problem I see is, opponents have attempted 125 passes through Dallas’ first four games, and Miller played only 62 snaps altogether. Against Huston, C.J. Stroud attempted 31 passes, Von Miller played 14 snaps. He clearly isn’t getting much opportunity.

In the opener versus the Giants, Miller played five passing downs. Five snaps. How is a pass rush specialist supposed to pass rush if he isn’t in the game?

Without looking at the assignments, those five passing downs could have been quick throws in the flats, which give a pass rusher no time to get home. So, I don’t know if those were missed opportunities or not.

What I’d want next is his participation on obvious passing downs, along with how often he rushed. That would tell us considerably more than his share of all defensive snaps.

What Happened With Those Chances?

I went back through each game because the season totals only tell us so much.

Washington is where the argument for more snaps has a hiccup. Von Miller played the most snaps that week and received no pressures. Against Baltimore, he played five fewer snaps and had two.

How can we look at those two games and say more playing time automatically brings more production? I also can’t use two games to say he wouldn’t be better with a larger role.

During the Houston game, Miller knocked C.J. Stroud down once. So, we know he reached the quarterback, even though he didn’t get credit for anything. Malachi Lawrence and Miller were the edge rushers on Jaylin Noel’s 52-yard catch, but neither got close.

Neither of these guys got close, and that was a passing opportunity Miller could have taken advantage of. If I’m going to question why Dallas isn’t giving him more snaps, I have to talk about that play too.

These do not give us a complete pressure total. Both help explain why I’m still looking at the quality of his chances and what he does with them.

What His Recent Production Says

Von Miller’s last two seasons give us some useful information.

We can see the sack total went from six to nine, but his production each snap barely changed. He played four more games and averaged about three additional snaps per appearance.

I would use this in the discussion to give him a heavier workload, but it doesn’t prove more snaps make him a better rusher.

Just so we know, his 2025 sack rate applied to his 62 Dallas snaps works out to roughly 1.3 sacks. That’s a shaky comparison, not a prediction. It should remind us how much one or two plays can change an entire conversation.

Dallas Has Had the Same Question

Before the Houston game, Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys wanted to move some of Rashan Gary’s snaps to Miller and Malachi Lawrence. He also said Miller would stay on a limited workload as the staff managed its rushers for the fourth quarter.

I understand wanting to keep him fresh late in games. He is 37 years old. I would still like to see Dallas find a few more useful opportunities before that point.

His recent history gives me a reason to try more snaps. The Washington game and that deep completion in Houston keep me from treating it as a guaranteed fix.

I would give Von Miller a slight increase in passing situations and see what happens. If he starts moving the quarterback off their spots and finishing plays, Dallas has something. If he doesn’t, what did it hurt? Because sacks aren’t coming from anywhere else.