Player: WR Scotty Miller
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Scotty Miller may have been a late signing, but he got a head start having played under Arthur Smith. The veteran wide receiver is trying to crack the Steelers’ depth chart, and he reportedly had a decent spring. Hoping to function as a deep threat, he showed some connection with QB Russell Wilson.
I don’t recall a more wide-open Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver depth chart. Outside of George Pickens, I’m not comfortable calling anybody an absolutely stone-cold lock to make the 53-man roster. Sure, guys like Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson may have the inside track, but they have to secure their jobs. They have the proverbial pole position, but runners from behind—like Scotty Miller—can catch them.
Miller is already building something of a rapport with QB Russell Wilson, according to spring reports. You can hardly ask for much more than that at this time of the year. It helps that Miller is generally a deep threat, and Wilson thrives on the deep passing game.
As any well-informed Steelers fan already knows, Miller also played under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith already. He spent the 2023 season with the Atlanta Falcons while Smith was the head coach. He only caught 11 passes on 16t targets for 161 and two touchdowns, but considering his competition, that’s not nothing.
For his career, Miller has 85 receptions for 1,085 yards and six touchdowns. He has shown the willingness and ability to play special teams in recent years, which he will need. While he mostly worked kick returns last year, he offered some four-phase capability in 2022.
At this point, I’m inclined to assume Scotty Miller is inside the roster bubble, but are there too many like parts? Is he too similar to Quez Watkins for the Steelers to carry both, and will they go with Smith’s guy? My guess is the tie goes to the one who is willing and able to do more on special teams.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
