Scotty Miller earned praise from Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, and then he led the AFC in preseason receiving yardage. The veteran wide receiver now finds himself on the Steelers’ 53-man roster after previously seeming outside the bubble, but what’s next? One of five at this position, what is his role, and how much will he play?
The Steelers don’t have a lot of receiving depth in terms of proven regular contributors. While they made a major investment in DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson are largely untested. Austin had some success last season, but not relative to the role he is stepping into this year. Somewhere in the midst of that is an opportunity for Miller to sneak onto the field.
“Scotty had a great camp. There’s no doubt about that. I’m not sure he was [going to be] on the roster at the beginning of camp. I think he earned himself a spot”, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on 93.7 The Fan last week. “Scotty is one of Aaron [Rodgers]’ guys. He’s earned that. I think he might get some opportunities”.
Fittipaldo pointed out that quarterbacks often have “their” receivers, including receivers who might never go on to do anything else of note elsewhere. He noted that Ben Roethlisberger, for example, had Eli Rogers and Ryan Switzer. Aaron Rodgers has had his share of receivers over the years, but could Scotty Miller be one of them?
For what it’s worth, while Rodgers has praised Miller, he has praised everybody else, too. He is close with Ben Skowronek, and he has talked up Austin and especially Wilson. Even if all of his comments are genuine, meaning his praise of Miller is, if he likes everybody, then nobody is special.
Still, outside of Metcalf, Miller is the Steelers’ most experienced wide receiver. He has 90 catches for 1,154 yards and 6 touchdowns in his six-year career. Mind you, Austin’s numbers aren’t too far from that in two years of play at 53-728-5. Both have a lot of overlap in their games, with an emphasis on speed.
That’s why Fittipaldo believes there won’t be much of a pecking order once the Steelers get past Metcalf. When it comes to Scotty Miller, Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek, he said, “It’s gonna be different every single week. I think that’s the way they’re gonna approach it”.
Miller did have by far the best preseason of his career, in the unlikely event that that actually means anything. And he was playing with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, not Aaron Rodgers. But credit where it is due, Miller put together a strong offseason. He earned his place on this Steelers team, but it’s still unclear where that leads him to next. In 2020, he caught 33 passes for 501 yards and 3 touchdowns. What can he produce this year, and what opportunities will the Steelers afford him?
