AFC Notes: Mike McDaniel, Von Miller, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

When asked about keeping Bills OLB Von Miller on the Physically Unable to Perform list, GM Brandon Beane said they wanted to be sure Miller was available for the “stretch run” of its season.

“Debated round and round a little bit but ultimately, long season and we want Von for the stretch run,” Beane said, via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. “As I said before, he’s trending up and I think it was a chance he would have been practicing soon, kind of working his way but he’s not quite there.”

Bills DE Gregory Rousseau believes they have the “deepest” edge rushing department through his three years with the team and had high praise of second-year Kingsley Jonathan.

“Man, I think it’s the deepest room that I’ve been in since I’ve been in the league with just all the talent we got,” Rousseau said. “You see what Kingsley’s doing, what he’s been doing during the preseason, just guys that could play inside out, all over. So, it’s a deep room and I’m excited for us to get the opportunity to go out there and showcase when it’s live.”

Bills DE A.J. Epenesa thinks their younger players have a chance to step up with Young missing time. 

“It’s obviously great when we have [Miller] out there cause he’s just such a rare talent and a rare specimen of an athlete … but this is our chance to kind of set our feet in as well,” Epenesa said. “We have an opportunity to make some big plays against some big opponents coming up.”

Dolphins

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said they weren’t shopping CB Noah Igbinoghene on Tuesday but hinted that Dallas approached them with the offer involving CB Kelvin Joseph and they decided it made sense to pull the trigger. 

“That was something that we definitely weren’t chasing; we were approached with [it],” McDaniel said via Pro Football Talk. “There was some interest there. Really, regardless, it wasn’t planned. It wasn’t a situation where we were really exploring the idea of not having him on the roster. But when given the opportunity and our specific team with our specific needs, we thought it was . . . a win for us. I’m so happy for and really proud of Noah because everybody wants to be a first-round draft pick. As a 20-year-old, that sounds cool, but there’s a burden with that. What you’ve seen is a guy grow as a player and as a person. I think being able to be 23 years old and go to a place with a fresh start, specifically with a guy that I’ve worked with in [defensive coordinator] Dan Quinn and just knowing his coaching mentality, I think it’s a good fit for them. I think it’s a good fit for us. That’s how deals are done.”

Jets

Jets DE Jermaine Johnson feels like he’s a dominant defensive end and is eager to prove himself in 2023. 

“My dominance has usually always popped off tape,” Johnson said. “I always look like the best — one of the best guys on the field. I just didn’t feel that from me last year. I went to work this past offseason and made sure that wasn’t the case this year.”

Johnson thinks he made a statement in training camp. 

“I feel like I made my statement [in training camp],” Johnson said. “That I’m a dominant player every time I’m on the field.”

Jets HC Robert Saleh praised Johnson’s presence as an edge rusher and ability to defend the run game. 

“He defends edges, collapses edges, can two-gap from the edge,” Saleh said. “He’s very impressive in the run game.”