Von Miller clearly played the 2023 season at less than 100 percent after suffering a knee injury in 2022, failing to register a sack in 12 regular season games.

On Thursday while speaking with reporters, he acknowledged that he probably shouldn't have played last year at all:

"That's probably what should have happened, but I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to be out there and play. If I was 50 percent, like, nobody was going to stop me from going out there. [Bills general manager Brandon] Beane wasn't, nobody was going to stop me from going out there. But the truth, just being honest with you guys, my knee wasn't at a place where I could go, and I could move, and I could do the things that I wanted to do. I mean, I could play, but that was just about it. "

Miller, 35, had never gone an NFL season without a sack and had seven seasons with double-digit sacks in his prime. He hasn't pulled off that feat since 2018, but still averaged 6.3 sacks per year between the 2019-22 campaigns.

That made 2023's goose egg in the sacks department all the more surprising.

"I only know one way to view things, and that's the most optimistic way, and I wanted it to go better than what it was," Miller said. "I wanted to go out there and get 15 sacks, that'd put me in the top 10 all time. I wanted all of those things to happen, but the universe just had other plans for me and nothing in life is by coincidence, so I'm here now, year three [with the Bills], I'm feeling good and I'm ready to go."

The Bills need Miller to have a bounce-back year after being forced to cut ties with a number of veteran players for cap-cutting purposes. He agreed to a restructured contract this offseason to aid in those efforts.

Granted, Miller probably isn't going to reach the levels that made him an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection at the height of his powers. But generating more consistent pressure and at least tallying a handful of sacks would certainly be a help.