WR Ryan Miller might be safe.
Joe wouldn’t be shocked if Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht went out in the next two weeks and found another receiver.
On Aug. 30, a week from Saturday, NFL teams must shave their rosters down to the mandated 53. A day or so later, more shuffling of rosters will take place with a glut of players looking for work. Perhaps a receiver shakes through the cracks?
One Bucs bubble guy Joe thinks will stick is Ryan Miller. A former college tight end, he made the switch to receiver in 2023. He’s got fairly decent hands and caught a dozen balls for the Bucs last season.
At least in training camp, Miller has had a bunch of targets. And as of yesterday, those targets are continuing.
Guys who the Bucs don’t plan to keep don’t get many targets.
In addition, Miller has become a decent special teams player. For non-starters, that’s pretty much a requisite; you’d better be able to play special teams.
And the way Bucs coach Todd Bowles speaks of Miller, Joe has a strong hunch Miller survives the annual arrival of The Turk.
> “Ryan is smart, he’s reliable, he’s tough, he has great hands, he’s going to block when you need him to block, he’s going to get open when you need him to get open, he’s a very good special teams player,” Bowles said yesterday. “His confidence has grown from year one until now.
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> “Coming out of college as a free agent tight end and playing wide receiver, you see the toughness, but his work ethic has changed.”
How did Bowles know Miller has become more serious at his craft?
> “I kind of knew he arrived when he cut his hair because he had been walking around a little crazy before, but now he’s kind of settled in and become a little mini vet right now. So that’s a good thing,” Bowles said.
Miller got into 11 games last season. Those 12 catches came on 20 targets and he averaged over 10 yards a catch.
Miller won’t blow up defenses, but Baker Mayfield trusts him. And he can play special teams.
With the Bucs banged up at receiver, Miller seems to be safe.