Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (ankle) wants to play against the Washington Football Team in Week 8, but NFL Network has indicated the team might be cautious and hold him out this week.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted on Sunday morning that Miller “may work out pre-game, but the team will likely be smart and force him to think long-term.”
This is an interesting situation because “long-term” presumably means the rest of this season (Denver doesn’t want Miller to play through injury and re-aggravate it and miss more games), but “long-term” could have even bigger implications.
The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday and if the Broncos are even considering the possibility of trading Miller, Denver probably won’t want to risk him getting injured against Washington on Sunday, which would end the possibility of a trade.
If the Broncos hold Miller out on Sunday, there’s a possibility that Miller might have already played his last down in Denver.
Broncos fans will hope that’s not the case. Regardless of Miller’s status beyond Tuesday, it appears he’s not trending toward playing on Sunday.
