Coming into Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, the wide receiver room under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and position coach Zach Azzanni seemed pretty set as to who was going to make the 53-man roster.
DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods and Ben Skowronek were expected to be the five the Steelers keep entering the season. So far, none of them have done anything to dissuade that thought.
But one wide receiver continues to stand out at training camp in Latrobe and simply refuses to go quietly. That would be veteran Scotty Miller.
If the Steelers keep six receivers, Miller seems like a good bet to be that guy. And if he can continue to make plays in the preseason, show up on special teams, and continue to assert himself, he could edge out one of those players like Woods or Skowronek.
For former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, Miller is a guy who keeps stating his case to make the team. Appearing on the latest episode of The Snap Count podcast with former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex, Batch spoke highly of Miller.
“They’ve all been consistent and coming into this, everybody thought it was gonna be a three-horse race, right? You have Robert Woods, you have Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson. But the one person that really is saying, ‘Hey, don’t forget about me’ is Scotty Miller,” Batch said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “This guy is throwing his name in the hat, and he is creating these splash plays to say, ‘Hey, I’ve done it in this league. I want the opportunity,’ especially with the number two position being open.”
Entering his seventh NFL season, Miller has been around the block a time or two. He’s played with a great quarterback before in Tom Brady during their time together in Tampa Bay, and he spent last season in Pittsburgh with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Miller came up clutch in Week 14 at home against the Cleveland Browns with a big catch on third down to help the Steelers win the game, but his contributions were minimal outside of that. After re-signing on a one-year deal this offseason, Miller was largely expected to be camp depth and a potential practice squad piece.
But so far he’s made plenty of plays. Ahead of the 10th practice of training camp, according to stats compiled by Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora, Miller had three catches on five targets for 122 yards and a score. One of those catches was a 74-yard catch-and-run from Mason Rudolph.
In recent days, Miller has become a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers, too, developing chemistry with the future Hall of Famer. Miller has a knack for being the go-to guy for an all-time great, doing that in Tampa Bay with Brady on the way to winning the Super Bowl in 2020.
Now, he’s pushing for a roster spot in Pittsburgh after largely entering training camp as an afterthought at receiver. He’s making a strong case and needs to continue to make plays in preseason action, potentially forcing the Steelers to keep six receivers.
