It seems as if the Pittsburgh Steelers have parted ways with former Chicago Bears second-round pick in 2018, Anthony Miller. Miller had a nice camp for himself in 2022 and caught eyes especially while Diontae Johnson wasn't around, but a season-ending injury in the preseason finale put an abrupt stop to what was looking like a sure spot on the 53-man roster.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
WR Anthony Miller is left looking for another team after Pittsburgh made changes to the wide receiver room in the off-season.
While there's yet to be anything official from the team, Miller seemed to have tweeted a farewell to the city on Monday afternoon.
Thank You Pittsburgh 🖤
— Anthony Miller (@AnthonyMiller_3) June 19, 2023
Miller was a walk-on at the University of Memphis before developing into a crucial piece on the roster for the team. He posted back-to-back 1400-yard receiving seasons with double-digit touchdowns to catch the eyes of NFL scouts. He landed with the Bears and current Steelers backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky. The two had some decent chemistry and Miller scored seven times in his rookie year.
His time in Chicago ended after he managed only four scores in the next two seasons. He was moved to the Houston Texans in July 2021 with a seventh-round pick in 2022 for a fifth-round pick in 2022.
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Former Chicago Bears receivers Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson reunited very briefly in Pittsburgh following Robinson's trade to Pittsburgh.
His time in Houston was very short. After being inactive for the first two weeks, Miller made his Texans debut in 2021 against the Carolina Panthers making four catches for 20 yards in a Panthers win. He played again the next week against the Buffalo Bills making one catch on five targets. He was waived by the team three days later.
The Steelers added Miller to their practice squad shortly after he was dropped by the Texans and kept him through to this offseason. He caught one pass that went for a two-yard gain from Ben Roethlisberger in his only appearance in a real game during a Week 12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Steelers 2023 Wide Receiver Room Has No Space For Miller
The Steelers have one receiver in Johnson who is getting paid and has some pretty lofty personal goals he wants to achieve. The number two role firmly belongs to the ascending talent that is George Pickens and the number three role belongs to Miller's former Bears teammate, Allen Robinson. Beyond them on the depth chart is another former University of Memphis product, Calvin Austin III who, after a redshirt first year in the NFL, is ready to show the league that what he's put on display at Organized Team Activities (OTAs) can be replicated on game day during the season.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens will be tasked to produce as the big dogs in the offense next year.
Miller, at 5'11", is among a group of four Steelers receivers that are on the smaller side that are under six feet. The Steelers are lacking a big body since Chase Claypool was traded to the Bears and former XFL standout, Hakeem Butler, might be the one the team is eyeing to fill that role.
While he seemed like a potentially useful roster player in 2022 before injury, it looks like the Steelers are deeming him an extra unneeded piece in 2023. While he's a veteran in the league, he hasn't really established himself and he doesn't play on special teams. Receivers like Gunner Olszewski and Miles Boykin might not bring a ton in terms of offensive snaps, but both have proved to be useful special teams players. Olszewski even has an All-Pro award for it.
For the Steelers, it was clearly a case of having too many guys around and not enough spots. The team could try to stash him on the practice squad again if he doesn't decide to pursue other opportunities.
How do you feel about Miller's likely release? Did you think he would be one of the receivers on the way out? Comment below!
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