Today’s free agent analysis for 2024 focuses on Pittsburgh Steelers WR Miles Boykin. A fifth-year veteran, he has played in Pittsburgh for the past two seasons. His role heavily revolves around special teams, in which he is a key contributor. He played on a one-year Veteran Salary Benefit deal in 2023 with no signing bonus.
Player: Miles Boykin
Position: Wide Receiver
Experience: 5 Years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2023 Salary Cap Hit: $940,000 (Veteran Salary Benefit contract reduced from $1,080,000)
2023 Season Breakdown:
Boykin played more snaps on special teams during the 2023 season than at any point in his career. He finally hit the 300 plateau, resting at 317 on the season, which substantially bests his previous high. In his first season in Pittsburgh in 2022, he played 207 special teams snaps, his first season over 150.
While he only recorded five tackles to show for it. Boykin’s primary asset is as a gunner on punts. He is skilled at inducing return men into signaling a fair catch, frequently better than a tackle. No return is better than a return of even one yard.
Offensively, he played a career-low 121 snaps. The only exception in 2021, his final season with the Baltimore Ravens, for much of which he was injured. He saw four targets, catching three for 17 yards without recording a first down. The one target that he did not catch he dropped.
Boykin came out of Notre Dame as a quality prospect, going in the third round. The Steelers acquired him via waivers in 2022, but he never developed into an offensive contributor. They would be wise to recognize the pattern moving forward and stick with special teams.
Free Agency Outlook:
At this point on the list, we’re not going to have too much to say about most of the players. The decisions will either be easy to make or insignificant. I think Boykin’s case leans more to the former than the latter. He should fall within the same pay window as he did a year ago, and that makes him an easy re-sign.
You might argue that Boykin has no upside at this point in his career to be more than a special teamer. By and large, that is true. But he is still a valuable player on special teams, especially on the cheap. If he is willing to sign again for a Veteran Salary Benefit contract with no signing bonus, sign him.
With no signing bonus, there is no dead money in the event he doesn’t make the team. And every roster needs a couple of veterans on special teams who know what they’re doing. You might as well sign them for the minimum if you can. They’re still millionaires so they’ll be fine.
