The Pittsburgh Steelers has a long, lustrous history of galvanizing quarterback and wide receiver relationships. Terry Bradshaw had John Stallworth and Lynn Swann. Tommy Maddox had Plaxico Burress. Ben Roethlisberger had Hines Ward and Antonio Brown. The Steelers know that once a tight quarterback/receiver connection is made, the offense is hard to stop. Therefore, with new quarterbacks thrown into the locker room in who are all looking to earn the starting job, new connections are going to have to be established in order for the Steelers’ offense to have any success in 2022.
But what if there is already a strong quarterback and receiver connection in the Steelers’ locker room before the season even starts?
With all the practices and game time they have together, you may be thinking I’m referring to Mason Rudolph and Diontae Johnson; I am not. Or, with multiple rookie league experiences, travel, and several practices together, you may also think of Kenny Pickett and George Pickens or Calvin Austin III. That is also not it.
Mitch Trubisky needs Anthony Miller to win the Steelers' starting quarterback job just as much as Miller needs Trubisky to reignite his NFL receiving career.
The Trubisky/Miller relationship goes back to when Miller came into the league in 2018. The connection between the two seemed to be instant. In his rookie year, Miller led the team with 7 receiving touchdowns. But as the Chicago Bears’ offense seemed to fizzle out, so did the on-field connection and Miller and Trubisky found themselves as back-up’s on separate rosters after the 2020 season. But leading up to that, Miller was poised for a breakout season with Trubisky leading the way. If we fast forward to March, 2022, as luck would have it, the two find themselves back together, only this time with the Steelers, ready to re-establish their strong connection.
The numbers speak for themselves. When Miller was playing with Trubisky in Chicago, he posted 106 receptions on 170 attempts for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. Albeit a shorter time span, when Miller played without Trubisky, he only made 6 catches on 12 attempts for only 25 yards and a single touchdown. For reference, Miller had 19 games where he tallied over 25 yards through the air with Trubisky at quarterback. The connection was so strong between the two, that it went public in the way of a postgame interview where Miller proclaimed to ESPN’s Michele Steele in 2019:
“A lot of people been doubting him (Trubisky), but I think he's a great quarterback," Miller said. "And whatever they got to say about my quarterback, they can come see me."
After those sentiments, Miller followed those in another interview a week later in that same 2019 season:
“When we're out on that field, he'll tell you. We talk to each other, we motivate each other, we'll tell each other, 'let's go, we got to pick it up.' He tells me what I can do better, I tell him when I feel like I'm open. I feel like this chemistry is just getting better and better each and every game, each and every practice."
Current Steelers' QB Mitch Trubisky (#10) and WR Anthony Miller (#17) celebrate a score in Chicago (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Not only did this lead to a stronger connection on the field, but the two would continue work outs together in the following offseason. Fans could see this pay off on the field, as Trubisky would throw the ball in Miller’s direction with Miller in coverage, and Miller would make the play on the ball. It was clear that Trubisky’s trust in Miller grew with each throw. But with a full year away from each other, how are they going to keep the connection strong in Pittsburgh?
We are all well aware the Steelers’ receiving corps underwent a but if a facelift after the 2021 season. This included the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ray-Ray McCloud, and James Washington combined with the additions of rookies Pickens and Austin III along with free agent Gunner Olszewski. While we have yet to see the offense in live action, the slot receiver position remains unclaimed. This was previously occupied by Smith-Schuster in 2021 and was then assumed by McCloud when Smith-Schuster missed the majority of the season with an injury. Sure, we can argue Olszewski could be a gritty, tough inside receiver, but he was brought in as a return specialist, not receiver. We could also argue some realignments along the line in moving Chase Claypool inside with Pickens holding it down outside; I simply don’t see that as a long-term solution. With that said, as of where we stand right now, Miller is the best man for the slot job. Miller spent a lot of his time lined up inside with Trubisky under center and it makes no sense to break that. In fact, I’d argue to encourage it. He’s a big enough body at 200 pounds to get open inside and fast enough to beat a nickelback defender to the next level. From a competition standpoint, Miller has to beat out the rookies and newly-acquired Miles Boykin to earn the spot. This is where Miller needs his connection with Trubisky to come into play. If Trubisky wins the starting quarterback job, Miller has to be on the field as well.
Steelers' WR Anthony Miller participates in OTA's (Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Both Miller and Trubisky are looking to get back to the NFL spotlight in 2022, and the Steelers are giving them everything they need to do so. However, they need to rely on each other. The possible rekindling of Trubisky’s and Miller’s connection has to happen if either of them wants to be successful in 2022. The Steelers are in need of an experienced slot receiver and Trubisky is searching for his reliable target, which makes this a dream scenario for Miller. With strong talent on the outside, a top-tier tight end in Pat Freiermuth, and stud running back in Najee Harris, Miller won’t be pressured to shoulder a lot of production and would be a great compliment to the 2022 Steelers’ offensive attack.
It is time to get the Trubisky/Miller connection back up and running in Pittsburgh.
Do you think Miller is going to make the final roster? Who do you think should be the Steelers’ slot receiver in 2022? Let us know in the comments below!
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