Scotty Miller seemed like anything but a lock to make the Steelers’ 53-man roster entering training camp, but that’s sure changed. At this rate, he should be competing for offensive snaps, especially with Calvin Austin III banged up. The fact of the matter is, he’s had a very good offseason and has earned his inevitable roster spot.
Miller finished third in the NFL and first in the AFC in receiving yards during the preseason, at least by the end of Thursday, though most of the league still had a game to play at that point. He picked up 167 yards on just nine catches, averaging 18.6 yards per catch. Although he didn’t find the end zone, he helped the Steelers flip the field on a weekly basis. He topped off his run with a 53-yard strike in the final preseason game.
In fact, Miller far outpaced any other Steelers player, with Roman Wilson’s 96 receiving yards coming second. He placed just inside the top 10 in receiving yardage in the AFC, with Ke’Shawn Williams (86) at 16 and Roc Taylor (77) at 25. Of course, Wilson only had four catches (with no targets in the finale), averaging 24 yards per catch.
Scotty Miller has a fan in QB Aaron Rodgers, which has undoubtedly helped his cause. Rodgers has been struck by his pure speed. While he praised the speed of the whole group, he singled out Miller, who has been noticeable. And he didn’t even get to play with Rodgers during the preseason, finding connections primarily with Skylar Thompson.
The only question now is how many wide receivers the Steelers keep. If they only keep five, then Scotty Miller will almost certainly take Robert Woods’ roster spot. Even if they keep six, Woods might still be the odd man out. If they need a punt returner, for example, they might keep Williams. Or we could see them still add a veteran, like Gabe Davis, who recently came in for a medical recheck.
By the end of the 2024 season, the Steelers waived Scotty Miller, re-signing him to the practice squad. He seemed the odd man out at that point, already a frequent name on the inactive list. A year later, he could have a much bigger role in the offense.
Miller played in 13 games for the Steelers last year, catching five passes on nine targets for 69 yards. However, working with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson isn’t quite the same as working with Aaron Rodgers. And as we saw in the preseason, even Rudolph and Thompson found him in the passing game.
The Steelers still have DK Metcalf at the top of the food chain, and Roman Wilson flashed during the preseason. Calvin Austin is more than just in the mix once fully healthy. But it seems abundantly clear at this point that Scotty Miller has a place at the table—perhaps right next to Aaron Rodgers, or at least next to Ben Skowronek, Rodgers’ shadow.
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