Vic Fangio Expects Von Miller to Come Back Just as Strong & Have a 'Really Good Season'

Like the proverbial sword, the Von Miller situation hung over the Denver Broncos throughout most of the 2021 offseason. Coming off an injury-ended season and staring down the barrel of turning 32 years old, did the Broncos believe the eight-time Pro Bowler had enough juice left in the tank to justify the hefty $17.5 million salary he was set to earn, if the team exercised the option on his contract?

The answer, based on GM George Paton's decision to bring Miller back, has to be a resounding yes. The Broncos picked up the star pass rusher's option, poising him to return to the defense to hunt quarterbacks opposite his Pro Bowl partner Bradley Chubb.

For those still harboring doubts that Miller will be worth that QB-level price tag, head coach Vic Fangio's expectations for the former Super Bowl 50 MVP should assuage those misgivings. Based on the shape Miller was in last year, and the focus with which he attacked the 2020 offseason, Fangio sees big things on the horizon for Miller.

"We had a lot of injuries last year which you guys are all aware of," Fangio said on Monday from UCHealth Training Center. "One of the ones that was most disappointing and hard to take was his. Not because of who he is, but I saw a guy that was in the best shape that I had seen him in two years. People that have been here longer than me said the same thing. He had a focus and desire for last season and then for him to get that freak injury in first-week game preparation—right around this part of the field—was very, very disappointing because I think he was primed to have a really good season, and I mean a really good season by his standards."

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That's all fine and dandy, but that was then. This is now. If the NFL is a 'what have you done for me lately?' league, Miller is left wanting. However, Fangio saw the veteran sack artist work furiously back from that ankle injury, and subsequent surgery, to get back on the field and run around with his teammates in late December.

Miller was never activated off injured reserve but Fangio caught more than a glimpse of the shape the player was in before the year turned over into the long offseason. Based on that, and the shape he was in last fall, Fangio has no qualms about bringing Miller back and expects him to return to 'Von-esque' form.

"Hopefully, he's going to do the same thing he did this last offseason," Fangio said before doubling down.

"He'll do it and come back in great shape, also."

Miller's injury was a freak thing and aside from it and the torn ACL he suffered in his third year, he's managed to stay healthy for the vast majority of his highly decorated and storied decade-plus career. Fangio is very stingy with his praise and doesn't use superlatives without just cause.

If the grizzled defensive czar sees a return to form for Miller, all of Broncos Country can likely rest assured that, at least for one more year, it'll get to see the most accomplished pass rusher in team history chasing down quarterbacks and making game-changing plays. Hopefully, this time, it'll result in an increase in wins for the Broncos.

Fangio's remarks lend credence to the rumor that he was the driving force behind Paton ultimately opting to bring Miller back. Although Fangio has come across as hard to please over the past two years, especially when it comes to Miller, he might in fact be his biggest fan and most ardent supporter behind the walls of Dove Valley.

In his last full season (15 games), Miller produced a relatively sub-par (for him) eight sacks. The year prior, he and Chubb combined for 26.5 sacks with Miller accounting for 14.5 of them. That's the level Fangio is speaking to, when it comes to Miller returning to the form Broncos Country has come to expect.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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