DALLAS — Ahead of Saturday’s eighth annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic, DeMarcus Ware spoke to reporters about the state of the Dallas Cowboys heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Commanders.
He touched on the impact of Von Miller, with whom he won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos after the 2015 season. Miller played for Washington last season. Ware predicts that Dallas will lean on Miller’s veteran leadership and insight as the Cowboys hope to even their record to 1-1 after a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants to start the season.
“Every year we always have a lot of talent,” Ware said. “But the experience in winning in the postseason and having that veteran push from Von, I think that’s gonna be great. So I’m just excited. First game wasn’t how we wanted it to look, but they got a game tomorrow, big game against Washington. So, I’m looking forward to see how they’re gonna bounce back.”
Expect A Higher Snap Count For Von Miller Against Washington
Miller played just 11 defensive snaps in Dallas’ debut, but team owner Jerry Jones expects that number to rise.
“I look for him, and we look at him as though he will have more snaps than that,” Jones said on an appearance on 105.3 The Fan two days after the game. “But we look at our entire defensive front as one that will benefit from rotation. And we’ve got some depth there. We had some guys play pretty good out there the other night.”
Von Miller’s Commanders Insight
Miller played last season in Washington under Commanders coach Dan Quinn. Defensive coordinator duties swapped from Joe Whitt Jr. in 2025 to Daronte Jones this year, but Ware expects a similar game plan from the Commanders.
“Their scheme hasn’t changed,” Ware said. “When you practice against a team there’s a lot of little small nuances that you can help out with your teammates. Things to watch for, tendencies, not just from the paper that they give you and say, ‘This is what you need to prepare for the team,’ but you got somebody that’s experienced.”
“So I think that him helping out the offense, how they’re probably going to be attacked, because we know he played for their defense last year,” Ware continued. “And then from an offensive standpoint, you played against these guys. Against the tackles and so on and so forth, so you can know firsthand this is what this guy doesn’t like, this is what he’s really good at, what to stay away from. I think that that’s gonna be the little keys that all players need when you have a player that has played with the other team and that’s what gives you an edge.”
The Cowboys kick off against Washington at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday at AT&T Stadium on FOX.
Dallas will be without safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in the contest, and the Commanders will be missing linebacker Frankie Luvu and tight end Chig Okonkwo.
