Von Miller is already showing the Dallas Cowboys why his value extends beyond what he can produce on the field.
A new video captured by CBS 11 shows Miller working directly with rookie LB Malachi Lawrence, offering the first-round pick some hands-on instruction during practice. It is a small moment, but it perfectly illustrates the unusual two-job role Miller has taken on in Dallas.
Video shows Miller pulling rookie Lawrence in tight on the Cowboys sideline, hands locked on his shoulder pads, forehead close, delivering a message only the two of them need to hear. It’s the classic veteran-to-rookie correction, not a public rah-rah moment but a private teaching point mid-game against Arizona, with Dallas up 24-6 in the third quarter.
Miller, a future Hall of Famer, has made it his mission this season to fast-track the No. 23 overall pick’s development as a pass rusher. This is what that mentorship looks like in real time: hands-on, direct, and away from the cameras’ full view.
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Miller is not only expected to rush the passer for the Cowboys. But he is also being asked to help develop the young players who could eventually become the foundation of Dallas’ pass rush.
Von Miller is already embracing his second Cowboys job
The Cowboys agreed to terms with Miller earlier this month, adding the 37-year-old veteran to a defensive front that needs more consistent pressure after rumors.
But according to Dallas Morning News Cowboys reporter Joseph Hoyt, Miller’s arrival was about much more than adding another veteran body to the rotation.
Hoyt reported that Cowboys pass rush consultant B.T. Jordan had been urging the team to bring Miller to Dallas. Jordan has worked with Miller for years and knew firsthand what the veteran could provide to the Cowboys.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that Jordan had been advocating for Miller for much of the previous year. “He knew firsthand because he works with him all the time and knew that he could help us,” Jones said, per Hoyt. That makes the video of Miller working with Lawrence particularly significant.
The Cowboys aren’t simply paying Miller to take a limited number of snaps and hunt quarterbacks. They also want him to transfer the knowledge that helped make him one of the most accomplished pass rushers of his generation.
Cowboys already expected Miller to mentor young pass rushers
The Cowboys have been transparent about Miller’s mentoring responsibilities. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters that Dallas expects Miller to help teach its younger pass rushers, specifically mentioning Lawrence and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
That was not an accidental addition to Miller’s responsibilities. The Cowboys deliberately want his experience influencing a younger defensive front.
Hoyt reported that Ezeiruaku has actually been learning from Miller for some time. The young pass rusher participated in Miller’s Sack Summit, a pass rush workshop that also included B.T. Jordan, Maxx Crosby, and Cameron Jordan. Ezeiruaku even told Miller that he had grown up watching him and trying to emulate his pass-rush ability.
Now, that player is getting the chance to learn from Miller inside the Cowboys’ building.
Miller recorded nine sacks last season, and Schottenheimer has already acknowledged that the Cowboys are not expecting him to play every defensive snap. “Ten to 15 great plays sound good to me,” Schottenheimer said. “If it’s 18 to 20, that’s cool, too. But he’s a great addition.” That is essentially the Cowboys’ plan for Miller.
Now, with Miller working directly with Lawrence, Cowboys fans are getting a glimpse of exactly what Jordan and the coaching staff hoped to add to the building.
