Here's why the Denver Broncos' Von Miller could be poised for a return to elite form

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Through the prism of time and reflection, Von Miller knows now that his time was not last December.

Throughout the 2020 campaign, the Broncos — and Miller himself — kept alive his hopes of returning from a dislocated peroneal tendon in his ankle, until nearly the end of a doomed season.

But as Miller looked back on the season this week, he realizes that coming back last year was just a fantasy.

“I don’t think I could’ve played in December. I think that was just my mind getting delusional,” he said. “The way I was feeling in December, I don’t think I could’ve gone out there and been the type of Von that I know I could’ve been. I probably could’ve just gone out there, but that’s not what we needed.”

It wasn’t worth the risk, not with the Broncos fading to the end of a fourth consecutive losing season — and a second-straight year in which the Broncos were never even .500 after Week 1.

Monday, the wisdom of that choice was clear. During the Broncos’ first Phase 3 OTA, Miller looked to be nearing 100 percent.

“I’m still running around here beating everybody’s ass, so I feel like, 30-what?” Miller said. “Until I see otherwise, I’m going to keep doing it and I’m going to keep going.”

It was just practice, to be true, but the explosion, speed and dynamic presence was typical Miller.

“Feeling how I’m feeling right now, I feel great,” Miller said. “I’ve still got a little bit more to go, but that little bit, I’ve got to get that on the football field.

“Everything that I can possibly do in physical training, rehab, and working with [Head Athletic Trainer] Vince [Garcia], I’ve done that to the max. This last little bit, I have to get on the football field.”

And even though he looks to be back in form, it would not behoove the Broncos or Miller to take any unnecessary risks as he completes the recovery from the most severe injury he has faced since tearing his ACL at Houston in Week 16 of the 2013 season. The same is also true for Bradley Chubb, who underwent a minor ankle procedure last week. He will not take part in OTAs, and if the Broncos chose to ease him into training-camp work in July and August, no one would bat an eye.

With both of their prized edge rushers, the Broncos don’t want to do anything that could put their availability for the regular season at risk. They’ve only seen them together for 20 of a possible 48 games since the start of the 2018 season, including just four under Vic Fangio.

As stellar as Miller has been throughout his career, the 11-year veteran is more productive when he has a Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher on the opposite flank.

In 193 career games (including playoffs) with Elvis Dumervil, DeMarcus Ware or Bradley Chubb in the lineup, Miller has averaged 0.87 sacks and 1.70 quarterback hits per game. In the other 49 games of his career, Miller averaged 0.64 sacks and 1.43 quarterback hits per game.

Those discrepancies may not sound like much — but when you take the sack rate and pro-rate it over 16 games, it means that Miller gets 3.7 more sacks per season with one of those premier edge rushers than he does otherwise.

Miller’s rate of 0.83 sacks per game in the 20 contests he played with Chubb aligns almost perfectly with his rates when he shared a huddle with Dumervil and Ware.

That said, Miller didn’t want to get into the data points of what he could accomplish with Chubb.

“I’ve never been a guy to put numbers on stuff and say we want to do this or do that,” he said. A moment later he added, “We just want to go out there and do what we’re supposed to do, live up to our potential and perform to the best of our ability.”

Given good health for Miller and Chubb, that “best” could be among the finest in the NFL.