By Joe Buscaglia, Zac Jackson and Cale Clinton

The NFL has issued two suspensions for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller was suspended for four games, while Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was suspended for five games.

Miller was arrested in late November 2023 for an alleged domestic violence incident for which no charges were filed. Miller has now been made available to play, as the suspension and possible removal from the roster in the 2025 offseason for cap reasons will likely make his difficult tenure with the Bills a 2022 signing despite the team’s championship ambitions is considered a failed experiment.

The Miller suspension is another layer to Miller’s complicated history with the Bills. The team made big headlines in March 2022 when they went all out to win a Super Bowl only to sign Miller to one of the richest deals in franchise history in his age-33 season. The contract, which included $51 million guaranteed and effectively kept him on the Bills’ roster for three seasons, looked good at the start. Miller was one of the Bills’ best players and gave them an edge they had missed for years. But a season-ending ACL tear ended his 2022 season, and when he returned in 2023, he wasn’t the same player on the field and racked up zero sacks.

Even though Miller is a big name and one of the highest-paid players on the team, from an on-field perspective, the Bills won’t be losing any of their key players in the starting lineup. At 35 years old, Miller just isn’t what he is anymore, and the team views him as more of a rotational pass rusher. Through the first four games, Miller averaged just 23.3 snaps per game and was on the field for just 35 percent of the team’s defensive plays. Against the Ravens, Miller only had nine total snaps. Miller had three sacks in his first three games, two of which came against a team’s backup right tackle and the other came late in the game in a blowout by the Dolphins. Still, he had shown more pass-rushing ability in his first year back from a torn ACL than he did in the entire 2023 season. They will miss some of that late-game pass-rushing ability, even though they have a rookie in Javon Solomon who has it role until Miller returns in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins.

The Browns drafted Hall Jr. with the 54th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. On August 13, Hall was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. He rejoined the team the following day, but two weeks later was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, which was considered a paid suspension. Hall Jr. pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in Ohio municipal court on Sept. 19. He received a $250 fine, a 30-day suspended sentence and a two-year probation sentence.

Hall will likely play as a rotational defensive tackle for the Browns, but perhaps not right away. He’s only 21 years old and hasn’t been allowed to train since the end of August, so he has to catch up. The Browns were willing to ignore the pre-draft red flags against Hall and let him practice the day after the domestic violence incident, so he is clearly in the team’s plans. But he never intended to be a starter right away, and he needs to prove to his coaches that he’s ready to help as an interior pass rusher.

Due to his time on the exempt list, Hall has already served four of his five suspension games, but must forgo his previous four game controls. He will be available for his NFL debut in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

(Photo: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)