Player: WR Scotty Miller
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: After spending the entire season on the 53-man roster, the Steelers waived Scotty Miller yesterday. The move was likely made due to the injury situation along their offensive line. Even prior to the injury issues, though, Miller was spending his time as a healthy scratch.
Scotty Miller ended up dressing for 13 of the Steelers’ 17 games this season. He sat in the finale, however, which was evidently a sign of things to come. The team waived Miller yesterday, likely to make room for an offensive lineman. Starting G Mason McCormick is questionable for Saturday’s game, and the Steelers need more depth. Presumably, the corresponding move will be Calvin Anderson, who returned to practice from IR after missing most of the season.
Scotty Miller’s release leaves the Steelers with just four wide receivers on their 53-man roster. But given how rarely they ever use more than four, it doesn’t really make much of a difference. If the Steelers want to re-sign him after this season, my guess is he will be available.
Miller played a total of 210 offensive snaps this season, but just 10 on special teams. His lack of special teams contributions played a role in his occasional inactive status on Sundays. When he did get to play, he caught five passes on nine targets for 69 yards. One of his incomplete targets was a pretty bad drop, but he also made a couple nice plays.
Still, he only saw one target in the Steelers’ final four games, which fell incomplete. In the Steelers’ first game without George Pickens, Scotty Miller caught three of four targets for 38 yards. But they were without Pickens for two more games and barely used him.
Scotty Miller is one of several veteran wide receivers the Steelers signed to Veteran Salary Benefit deals this offseason. He and Van Jefferson both made the roster, while Quez Watkins was on the practice squad. With Roman Wilson potentially ready to return, they could always activate him if they need a fifth receiver. They also have Brandon Johnson and Jamal Agnew in addition to Watkins available on the practice squad.
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.
