The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly signed their third free-agent wide receiver of the offseason in Scotty Miller. Like Van Jefferson and several other additions, Miller was in Atlanta last season with Arthur Smith, now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
Though Scotty Miller isn’t the big-name Steelers receiver addition many have been waiting for, let’s find out what the team is getting with him.
Much like Van Jefferson, there isn’t a lot of tape or production to watch. In 2023 with the Falcons, Miller caught only 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, logging 267 (24 percent) offensive snaps. He played another 107 on special teams. As Dave Bryan noted, about one-third of his yards last year came on this coverage bust against the New Orleans Saints.
Standing in at 5091 and weighing 174 pounds out of Bowling Green ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, he blazed a 4.36 40 at his Pro Day. That athleticism and fluidity popped on tape. His movement style reminds me of Roman Wilson; in and out of his cuts quickly and displays burst and long speed throughout his tape.
His best rep came in Week 7 against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The backside X receiver, Miller runs this post perfectly. He stems his route wide while maintaining speed, getting the LCB to slow down and perhaps expect an out-breaking route before breaking back to the post and winning vertically. He does a nice job tracking the ball and finishing the play for a 46-yard gain. A route similar to Calvin Austin’s 72-yard touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Though small, Miller isn’t just a slot receiver. As the above clip shows, he aligned on the outside. According to PFF, he had about a 50-50 split of outside and slot snaps last season. Last year, he had 138 in the slot and 124 on the outside.
In 2022 with Tampa Bay, most of his snaps came on the outside (192 outside, 57 slot) as Chris Godwin played along the interior.
But that doesn’t consider what the tape shows, which includes plenty of bunch and stacked looks, even when on the outside, to create free releases, of which there was plenty on film.
Miller does a good job tracking and finding the ball downfield. Here, he becomes No. 1 off this bunch release, running a fade to the corner and making the grab with the defensive back face-guarding him. Bottom of the screen here.
On tape, he was used on posts, digs, and short curls. He often saw zone defenses and ran free over the middle or quickly sat down underneath.
His 107 special teams snaps primarily consisted of kick returns, logging 90 snaps there. But he had only one return for 14 yards all season. Atlanta had just 14 kick returns all season, a low number even compared to the record-low number of returns the NFL saw in 2023. In 2022 with the Bucs, his special teams snaps were more distributed, playing 36 on punt coverage, 26 on kick coverage, and nearly 70 snaps on the return teams.
Negatively, his size creates an obvious problem. He’s not great at getting off against press and is too easily rerouted. Though the Packers are flagged for downfield contact here, you can see Miller get bumped legally off the line, impacting the timing of this route. Top in the slot in the clip below.
And here, he loses out on this slant. A nice read and jump by the corner, but Miller’s lack of size hurts him here, getting boxed out and unable to fight through the route. Bottom of the screen here to the outside.
As a blocker, there’s want-to and effort but his frame makes it difficult for him to have an impact.
Final Thoughts
Like with Jefferson’s addition, there isn’t a ton to say with Miller. His game reminds me a lot of Calvin Austin. They are small but not solely outside receivers with great wheels and fluidity but light production and a frame that creates issues. Miller arguably does a better job tracking and finishing than what Austin has shown in limited chances but the sample sizes on each aren’t significant, especially going off what Miller did last season with the Falcons.
The Steelers’ plan should be to put all four, Quez Watkins, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller, into the same boat. All guys trying to fight for one of the final spots on the 53-man roster. Go to camp and let the best men win. I’d guess two of these four make the 53, creating a depth chart that looks something like this:
1. George Pickens
2. Roman Wilson
3-4. Watkins/Jefferson/Austin/Miller
5. Dez Fitzpatrick OR outside add
Obviously, if it’s a significant add, the outside receiver would be higher on the depth chart. If not, then Fitzpatrick might sneak across as a special teamer and Miles Boykin/James Pierre replacement.
Miller’s addition shouldn’t prevent the team from continuing its conversations and explorations for another outside receiver. It remains a need and an obvious one. Miller likely received a one-year veteran benefit deal from the Steelers, so there’s little financial impact here, and it’s hard to be upset at the signing on that alone. But the Steelers are redundantly stacking similar talents and skillsets and at some point, they have to do something different.
