Even though he was activated from the PUP list to the 53 man roster on Saturday, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller is still unsure when he will be ready to play as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee that injured late last season.
“It’s the next step in the process,” Miller told steelers.com following his removal from the Active PUP list. “My mindset is not going to change. I want to keep improving each day and keep stacking those good days together. There are just a few more steps that I have to take and hopefully I can get there soon.”
The Steelers certainly need Miller back sooner rather than later as they will also be without the services of backup tight end Matt Spaeth for several more weeks. Despite the team needing him right now; however, I still would be surprised if Miller plays prior to the bye week as General Manager Kevin Colbert said several weeks ago in a radio interview that when the veteran tight end’s injury is finally behind him, they want it behind him for good.
Now that Miller has been removed from the PUP list he can begin practicing with the team whenever they deem him healthy enough to do so. They took the same approach last year with running back Rashard Mendenhall, and he didn’t see the field until after the week four bye.
As far as Miller missing all of training camp and the preseason, he knows that it is not as bad as missing an entire season, and he will continue to stack good days on top of one another until given the green light to play again.
“I know I am closer to the end than the beginning, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
It is indeed a good thing.
