The Pittsburgh Steelers added another wide receiver on May 8. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the Steelers signed veteran Scotty Miller to a 1-year contract.
Miller previously played in Arthur Smith’s offense with the Atlanta Falcons.
“Former Falcons free-agent wide receiver Scotty Miller is reuniting with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith,” wrote Schefter.
Signing Miller is not the blockbuster wide receiver acquisition Steelers fans have been waiting for since the draft. But Miller’s experience in Smith’s offense could be key for Pittsburgh’s young receiving corps.
Miller began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. He posted 33 receptions, 501 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns with the Buccaneers in 2020, helping the team win the Super Bowl.
During the 2020-21 postseason run, Miller had 4 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in the NFC championship game.
Over four seasons in Tampa Bay, Miller posted 74 receptions, 924 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Last season with the Falcons, Miller caught 11 passes for 161 yards. He also had 2 touchdowns.
Miller is the third veteran receiver the Steelers have added on a 1-year contract this offseason. Pittsburgh also drafted Michigan’s Roman Wilson during the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Miller will likely compete for a depth receiver role with the Steelers. The 26-year-old also has a little experience returning kickoffs and punts.
Steelers Sign WR Scotty Miller
Miller is not only the third veteran receiver the Steelers have signed to a 1-year deal, but Miller is the second of those three wideouts with previous experience playing for Smith.
This offseason, the Steelers also signed receiver Van Jefferson. He had 12 catches for 101 yards in 12 games for the Falcons last year.
The other veteran wideout the Steelers signed this spring was Quez Watkins.
Pittsburgh has made these additions at receiver in an attempt to replace Diontae Johnson, who the team traded to the Carolina Panthers on March 12. But, Miller is cut from a similar cloth as Jefferson and Watkins in that his best season was a few years ago.
Like Jefferson and Watkins, Miller has recorded one 500-yard season in his career. But Miller doesn’t have 500 yards in the last three years combined. Last season, he was under 210 receiving yards, which was true for all Steelers wideouts not named George Pickens.
Adding a receiver with little 2023 production is going to irk a lot of Steelers fans. But The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly appears to view Miller as a potential replacement for either Jefferson or Watkins rather than another possibility as the team’s WR2.
“Scotty Miller cost them nothing so who cares,” Kaboly tweeted. “Put him in the room with the others and see what happens.”
Other WR Move Coming for Steelers?
The Steelers have added depth at receiver with Jefferson, Watkins, Wilson and now Miller. But it remains unclear if any of those wideouts can be the team’s No. 2 target behind Pickens.
In a perfect world, they won’t be. So, even with the signing of Miller, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers still made another addition at receiver.
If another move to get a wide receiver is being considered, it might be for a big playmaker. The Steelers have many receivers, but none of them gained 250 receiving yards last year.
Looking at it that way, adding Miller is a clever decision for Steelers' manager Omar Khan. Miller provides another choice for the team's receiving options, and it won't affect any potential WR2 the Steelers might get.
Experts have linked the Steelers to Brandon Aiyuk, Courtland Sutton, DK Metcalf and some other well-known names in trade talk. Those rumors will probably keep going even with Miller joining Pittsburgh.
