AFC Notes: De’Von Achane, Von Miller, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

Bills HC Sean McDermott said the team is taking it one day at a time with DE Von Miller as he continues to work his way back on to the field after suffering an ACL tear.

“I think the biggest thing is the first day when you’re coming off an injury like that, you want to get through it,” McDermott said, via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. “I applaud him for making it through that first practice because that’s a milestone in and of itself because of the months and months and the hours of rehab. So, I think that’s really where we’re at. I think Day 2 was better than Day 1. He looked like he was getting more comfortable.”

Miller adds that it’s safe to say he’s playing on Sunday and gave himself a “94.5%” chance of playing.

“I think that’s a safe bet. It’s been a long road to recovery,” Miller explained. “Had two really good practices, had a really good practice today, and I think it’s a safe bet that I’ll be out there for sure.”

Miller does admit that he’ll still have to work his way back to being his former self and doesn’t expect to take on a full workload right from the beginning.

“I don’t expect me to jump right into things,” Miller said. “But I expect to just put my toe in a little bit and then work my way out to the deep end so I can start swimming, but it’s a brutal sport, it’s a fun sport and I’m sure it’ll take some time for me to get where I want to be.”

• According to Ian Rapoport, Miller (knee) is traveling with the team to Week 5’s game in London after having “no issues” in his first two practices this week. 

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa had high praise of rookie RB De’Von Achane following his two-touchdown performance in Week 4. 

“Oh my gosh, I mean, you guys see it. I think the entire NFL can see it. Dude’s a special player,” Tagovailoa said, via NFL.com. “He understands ball like the back of his hand.”

Tagovailoa said Achane is a “very intellectual” player and has a great understanding of their offense. 

“He’s very soft-spoken, but he’s very smart, very intellectual when it comes to the X’s and O’s of understanding where to line up, where he needs to be in the timing of the play and things like that,” Tagovailoa said. “I think that’s something that needs to be said because it’s hard, especially being in this offense. So he’s done a tremendous job and I know he’ll continue to work hard and continue to do all he can to help us try to win games.”

Tagvailoa thinks Achane’s performance speaks to the rookie’s character. 

“I think for everyone on our team, it’s really awesome to see a young guy come in and the way he goes about his business every single day, it speaks a lot to his character and how seriously he takes this,” Tagovailoa said. “He’s gained a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room. Needless to say, the entire league is on watch as well with him. He’s a tremendous, tremendous athlete and a great person.”

Jets

Jets HC Robert Saleh said RB Breece Hall will no longer operate under a pitch count.

“From an opportunity standpoint, there is no pitch count with him anymore,” Saleh said, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

Saleh added that while the team would love to feature Hall, they still have a lot of players they also want to get involved offensively.

“We’d love to get him going, but at the same time, we’ve got a lot of guys that we want to get involved,” he said.

Jets C Connor McGovern explained how big of an impact losing Hall had on the team last year.

“It was huge,” McGovern said. “I mean, at the time, you knew he was making plays. You didn’t realize how big and how impactful his plays were. In hindsight, you realize just how big it was. So, to have him back at 100 percent is awesome.”

Saleh added that fellow RB Dalvin Cook is also getting up to speed offensively and hopes to get him more touches as well.

“I’m sure he wants more,” Saleh said. “I’m sure he wants more production. He needs to continue to work. He’s getting faster. His GPS numbers are showing he’s getting a lot faster. It looks like he’s getting his legs underneath him, and we just need to find those guys a little bit more opportunity.“