One familiar face from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ recent past is getting another shot with a Super Bowl contender after wide receiver Scotty Miller signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
Miller, 28 years old, was a 6th-round pick (No. 208 overall) by the Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL draft, and played his 1st 4 NFL seasons in Tampa Bay, including winning a Super Bowl following the 2020 season.
“Bears are signing free-agent wide receiver Scotty Miller, per (agents) Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Saturday.
The move reunites Miller with a familiar face from the Buccaneers in Bears assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El, who was an offensive assistant in Tampa Bay for Miller’s 1st 2 seasons.
Miller played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the last 2 seasons after spending 1 season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Scotty Miller Wowed Scouts After Dominating MAC
Miller, 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds, racked up 208 receptions, 2,838 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns over his final 3 seasons at Bowling Green, where he was a 3-time All-MAC selection — that included a 63-yard touchdown reception on his final college play against Buffalo.
Miller cemented his NFL future when he ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at Bowling Green’s Pro Day — a good enough showing that he went from being predicted as a priority free agent to a late-round pick.
Several scouts clocked Miller in the high 4.2-second range for his 40-yard dash, which would put him among the fastest record 40 times in NFL history.
“Slim, slot target with legitimate track speed and short area burst to separate over the top and underneath,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2019. “Miller was lightly recruited out of high school but posted strong catch production for Bowling Green over the last three years. He’s tough, but durability will be a concern for NFL scouts considering how often he absorbs big contact. There are boxes he won’t check, but the speed/separation is one that gets an immediate check and that could help him find a roster spot as a three-level target and Day 3 selection.”
Key Role Player in Magical Season for Buccaneers
Miller played 10 games as a rookie and ended his season on injured reserve with a hamstring issue before having a breakout season in 2020 as a key role player for the Buccaneers on the way to winning the Super Bowl.
In his 2nd season, Miller registered career highs in starts (5), receptions (33), receiving yards (501), and touchdowns (3) while playing alongside NFL All-Pro Mike Evans and Pro Bowler Chris Godwin.
Miller’s shining moment came on the road against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, where he helped the Buccaneers pull off a 31-26 upset with a 39-yard touchdown reception right before halftime.
Since his breakout season in 2020, Miller has never exceeded 200 receiving yards in a single season and hasn’t scored a touchdown in a regular-season game since 2023 with the Falcons.
Signing with the Bears is also a homecoming for Miller, who was a 2-sport star in football and track and field for Barrington (Illinois) High School in the Chicago suburbs.
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