OXNARD, Calif. — Von Miller has practiced in No. 40 since joining the Dallas Cowboys last weekend. Hunter Luepke owns that number. The Cowboys fullback has had it since 2023. Neither player has given it up.
Miller wore 58 across 11 seasons in Denver, 40 for three years in Buffalo, and 24 last season in Washington. He announced the Cowboys agreement on Instagram with a photoshopped image of himself in a No. 40 Dallas uniform.
“I don’t know what uniform I’m going to be. I know Hunter is 40. I think 58 was, that’s a Denver thing. I wore 58 so long in one spot. I wore 24 last year as well. That’s already taken as well,” Miller said. “But Hunter, we already started off on a great foot. I’m a team guy. Whatever it takes to get it done, I’m sure we can figure something out. Even if it doesn’t work out, that’s just how it’s supposed to be.”
Miller majored in poultry science at Texas A&M and operates a chicken farm in North Texas. Luepke has spent all three of his NFL seasons with the Cowboys.
League rules give linebackers the numbers 0 through 59 and 90 through 99, which leaves Miller a wide range of alternatives if the two do not trade.
“I’m not going to get caught up in the number, but I did make some offers to him already that I feel like he can’t really come off of those. I think a lifetime supply of chicken, I’d do it,” Miller continued. “So whatever it takes to make it happen, whether it does or not. Like I’m here to win games. I’m here to win a Super Bowl. A number would be nice, but I think the most important thing is to win a lot of these games, playing big games, and the number would just be an afterthought.”
Luepke left Tuesday’s joint practice against the New Orleans Saints before it ended with a shoulder issue.
Why Von Miller Ruled Out No. 94
Dallas doesn’t retire jersey numbers. Instead, the franchise puts former players in its Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium. Numbers those players wore stay in circulation.
That policy leaves No. 94 available. DeMarcus Ware wore it in Dallas for nine seasons, from 2005 through 2013. His 117 sacks are still the Cowboys record. On Aug. 5, 2023, Ware entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Cowboys put him in the Ring of Honor that October as the 20th player and 23rd overall member.
“No, not 94. That’s D-Ware,” Miller said.
Ware also earned nine Pro Bowl selections, four first-team All-Pro selections, and two NFL sack titles in 2008 and 2010, and he was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team. He returned to Frisco in 2017 for a ceremonial signing so he could retire as a Cowboy, and he posted a FaceTime screenshot with Miller after news of the Dallas agreement broke Sunday.
Ware and Miller were teammates in Denver from 2014 through 2016 and won Super Bowl 50 together. Ware started at weakside linebacker in that game and finished with two sacks and five tackles. Miller was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Ware finished his career with 138.5 sacks. Miller has 138.5 sacks in 203 regular season games, and the two are tied for ninth on the official list, which dates to 1982.
Von Miller’s Cowboys Debut Timeline
The Cowboys break camp Friday. Once they’re back in North Texas, Miller is expected to practice at The Star for the first time on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The club hasn’t committed to that date.
The Cowboys play at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT and host the Saints on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium. The regular season opens Sept. 13 at the New York Giants at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
