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Anthony Miller

Steelers Sign LB Nick Kwiatkoski

June 20th, 2023 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Kwiatkoski‘s minicamp audition with the Steelers will lead to an agreement. The Pittsburgh-area native agreed to terms with his hometown team Tuesday, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

The veteran linebacker will head back to Pennsylvania after spending the 2022 season in Atlanta. Kwiatkoski joins Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts as veteran linebackers added to the Steelers’ equation this offseason. It is a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).

This marks the third Kwiatkoski contract agreement in four years, though the West Virginia alum also agreed to multiple Raiders restructures. The Raiders signed the former Bears part-time starter to a three-year, $21MM deal in 2020, but after the team cut bait in 2022, worse terms awaited from the Falcons. But Atlanta still afforded an opportunity — on a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum. Considering this is a June addition after a minicamp tryout, Kwiatkoski’s Steelers terms are likely similar to what he received from the Falcons.

Drafted in the 2016 fourth round by the Bears a month after their Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman signings, Kwiatkoski ended up moving into Chicago’s starting lineup frequently over his first two seasons. He started 13 games from 2016-17, and even after the Bears made Roquan Smith a top-10 pick in 2018, they still needed Kwiatkoski for eight starts during his 2019 contract year. He parlayed that into the Raiders accord, with the Silver and Black signing he and Cory Littleton in March 2020. Neither deal worked out, and both off-ball ‘backers were gone as the Dave Ziegler–Josh McDaniels regime took over last year.

Kwiatkoski, 30, played 12 Falcons games last season, working mostly as a special-teamer. He logged 228 special teams snaps, marking his third season with at least 200 ST plays. While Kwiatkoski has started 34 career games, he profiles as a depth piece in Pittsburgh. The Bethel Park High alum joins offseason addition Tanner Muse and 2022 seventh-round pick Mark Robinson as the Steelers’ top non-Holcomb and Roberts options. Depth could be key here, with Holcomb coming off a December foot surgery.

Additionally, the Steelers released wide receiver Anthony Miller. A former Kwiatkoski Bears teammate whom the team chose in the 2018 second round, Miller has been unable to find his NFL footing since a promising 2019 season (656 receiving yards). The Bears traded Miller to the Texans in July 2021, but Houston waived him soon after. The Jaguars and Steelers took subsequent fliers later that year, and Miller ended up sticking with Pittsburgh for a bit. But he only played in one game with the Steelers. The ex-Chicago slot suffered a shoulder injury while competing for a Steelers job in training camp last year and spent the season on IR.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/17/23

January 17th, 2023 at 7:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Steelers WR Anthony Miller Out For Season

August 16th, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Adam La Rose

12:05pm: Per a team announcement, the Steelers have indeed placed Miller on IR, meaning that he will not suit up in 2022.

11:04am: The Steelers’ receiving corps has taken a hit. Anthony Miller is dealing with a shoulder injury and is set to be sidelined for “several months,” putting his 2022 availability in jeopardy, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). 

Fowler adds that there is currently a slight chance that Miller is able to return at some point during the season, not unlike JuJu Smith-Schuster last year. However, the likelier outcome is that the 27-year-old misses the campaign in its entirety, marking a significant blow to his career and leaving the Steelers shorthanded in terms of depth at the position.

Miller signed with the Steelers last October, joining their practice squad. He made a single appearance with the team in 2021, recording a single reception. Given the presence of former Bears teammate Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, however, there was a chance he could carve out a more significant role this season. During three-plus years in Chicago, the former second-rounder totaled 134 catches for 1,564 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His inability to secure a full-time starting role made him a disappointing draft pick, though, and before the end of his rookie contract, he had been traded to the Texans. His short-lived (and relatively unproductive) tenure in Houston left him on the waiver wire, leading to the Steelers’ investment in him as a reclamation project.

With Miller out for at least a significant portion of the season, the Steelers are somewhat thin at wideout behind starters Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and George Pickens. The team lost Smith-Schuster and James Washington in free agency. Now, with Miller out of the picture, the final roster spots will likely be decided by a combination of rookie Calvin Austin III, Cody White and Gunner Olszewski, as waiver claim Miles Boykin was recently deemed a logical cut candidate.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/24/22

January 24th, 2022 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Monday’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

January 5th, 2022 at 11:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Steelers Place TE Eric Ebron On IR

November 27th, 2021 at 3:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Following a knee injury Eric Ebron sustained in last week’s loss to the Chargers, the Steelers placed the veteran tight end on injured reserve. His time in Pittsburgh might be over as well.

Surgery has emerged as a possibility; that would most likely put an end to the tight end’s season. Ebron had missed two games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury but had returned to normal snap counts in the past two weeks. Ebron’s two-year Pittsburgh contract expires at season’s end.

Rookie Pat Freiermuth has become the primary tight end for Pittsburgh this year, and the second-round pick will only see his usage increase as a result of Ebron’s absence. Ebron’s production has been limited in his second Steelers season; he has pulled in just 12 receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. The Steelers also have backups Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader — the latter promoted from the practice squad ahead of Week 12 — to help pick up the slack.

In corresponding moves, Pittsburgh promoted guard John Leglue to the active roster and moved guard J.C. Hassenauer to the IR alongside Ebron. The team also bumped up defensive lineman Daniel Archibong and wide receiver Anthony Miller from its practice squad for week’s matchup against the Bengals.

Steelers Sign WR Anthony Miller To P-Squad

October 12th, 2021 at 3:04pm CST by Ben Levine

TUESDAY: The move is now official. The Steelers announced they have added the fourth-year wideout to their practice squad. They will be the former Bears second-rounder’s third team in four months.

MONDAY: Anthony Miller won’t be joining the Jaguars practice squad after all. The veteran receiver “plans to sign” with the Steelers practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).

[RELATED: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster Done For Year?]

NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala clarifies (on Twitter) that Miller has yet to sign a contract and will take his physical with Pittsburgh tomorrow. If all goes well, it sounds like the receiver will end up joining the organization.

Earlier today, reports indicated that Miller was set to sign with the Jaguars’ practice squad, and the wideout even tweeted “Duval” over the weekend (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter). Miller was expected to eventually take the roster spot that was previously held by wideout DJ Chark, who suffered a fractured ankle during Week 4. Now, he’ll eventually be taking the roster spot previously held by JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is likely done for the season with a shoulder injury.

Miller was cut by the Texans late last week, just months after acquiring him from the Bears via trade. He finished his stint in Houston with five catches for 23 yards and one touchdown. The 2018 second-round pick flashed potential at times but generally disappointed during his stint in Chicago. In 2020, he took 49 catches for just 485 yards, and his rookie season (33 catches, 423 yards, seven touchdowns) still stands as his best season.

Jaguars Add Anthony Miller To Practice Squad

October 11th, 2021 at 9:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are set to sign Anthony Miller to their practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver may get a quick promotion to the 53-man roster as well, RapSheet hears.

Miller was cut by the Texans late last week, just months after acquiring him from the Bears via trade. The Texans sent Chicago a 2022 fifth-round pick in the swap, but only used him in two games. He recorded four grabs for 20 yards in his Week 3 debut against the Panthers, but he was a non-factor in Week 4 against the Bills. In his defense, no one on the Texans shined in that 40-0 blowout. All together, he’s got five catches for 23 yards and one touchdown so far this year.

Miller, a 2018 second-round pick, flashed potential at times but fell flat towards the end of his Chicago tenure. In 2020, he took 49 catches for just 485 yards. Some say that shoulder issues held him back — to his credit, he played through the pain for a full 16-game slate.

To date, his rookie year — 33 catches, 423 yards, and seven touchdowns, still stands as his best.

Texans To Waive Anthony Miller

October 6th, 2021 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are waiving Anthony Miller, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (Twitter link). The wide receiver will be available for the league’s other 31 teams on the waiver wire. 

The Texans traded for Miller over the summer by sending a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Bears. Since then, he’s seen time in two games for Houston, notching five grabs for 23 yards with a touchdown. The bulk of that came against the Panthers in Week 3; he was hardly a factor as the Texans got drummed 40-0 by the Bills this past week.

Miller, the No. 51 overall pick in 2018, flashed potential at times but fell flat in 2020 — he took 49 catches for just 485 yards, despite playing all 16 games. Some say that shoulder issues limited him in Chicago. Assuming he’s healthy, he should hold appeal for other clubs in need. His seven-TD rookie year wasn’t all that long ago, and he also managed 656 yards as a sophomore.

The Texans, meanwhile, have replaced him with new addition Davion Davis.

Bears Trade Anthony Miller To Texans

July 24th, 2021 at 7:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The NFL dead period is officially over, and things are heating up as training camps open. The Bears have agreed to trade receiver Anthony Miller to the Texans, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Here are the details of the deal, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):

Texans Receive

Bears Receive

  • 2022 fifth-round pick

A divorce between Miller and Chicago has seemed likely most of this year, and now it’s official. Back in March we heard the team was shopping him, and about a month later it was reported the Bears had held trade talks with a number of teams. The 51st overall pick of the 2018 draft, Miller has flashed lots of potential at times but was a big disappointment in 2020.

The emergence of rookie Darnell Mooney last year made Miller expendable in Chicago. It never really kept him off the field, but Miller dealt with significant shoulder issues in both 2018 and 2019. His rookie season he caught seven touchdowns, and he had 656 yards as a sophomore. But he took a step back last season, only finishing with 49 catches for 485 yards despite playing all 16 games.

From the Texans’ perspective, it makes a lot of sense. They’re almost certainly entering a rebuilding year in 2021, so it can’t hurt to take a look at a young player entering the final season of his rookie deal. Miller has shown some promise in the past, and Houston has a pretty uninspiring receiving group outside of Brandin Cooks after letting Will Fuller walk in free agency.

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