With their 2025 preseason slate officially in the books, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ real work begins.
By Tuesday, August 26 at 4:00 p.m. ET, the team must cut its roster down from 90 players to 53. That final allotment can be extended via a 16-man practice squad, but it’s still a tricky balancing act every NFL club has to deal with every summer.
One player, in particular, made a massive impression during the preseason: wide receiver Scotty Miller. With that in mind, his case for the roster is becoming clearer by the second. It doesn’t hurt that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is also a big fan of his play.
Aaron Rodgers Drops High Praise for Scotty Miller
Speaking to sideline reporter Missi Matthews during the Steelers’ Thursday preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, three words from Rodgers essentially sealed Miller’s fate in the best way.
“Scotty can fly,” Rodgers said.
Every subsequent word doubled down on that praise.
“Straight-up fly,” Rodgers added. “That’s what I noticed when I was throwing with those boys out there (in Malibu earlier this offseason). DK [Metcalf] obviously has incredible speed, but Scotty and Roman [Wilson] and Calvin [Austin III] can fly. That kind of speed is pretty special. They’re all similar-sized athletes other than, obviously, DK. They’ve all got their own individual skill sets. It’s hurting not having Cal. Mostly him, the frustration, but giving Scotty a lot of opportunities, and he’s made the most of it.”
Miller, now 28, has seen and done plenty in the NFL. A sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2019, he won a Super Bowl with the club when Tom Brady was there under center. That championship campaign was Miller’s best, seeing him set career-high marks for receptions (33), yards (501) and touchdowns (3).
After a 2023 cameo with the Atlanta Falcons, Miller signed with the Steelers last year. He appeared in 13 regular-season games a season ago, hauling in five passes for 69 yards. He bounced between the practice squad and active roster, later re-signing in March.
During training camp, Miller was perhaps the club’s second-best wideout. Austin being hurt opened the door for him. It’s clear that Metcalf is the top dog of the room and Wilson is facing high expectations. Rodgers and head coach Mike Tomlin like them.
They like Miller, too, though.
Miller Reflects on Big Play in Preseason Finale & Playing With Rodgers
In three preseason games, Miller dominated with 9 catches for 167 yards. Three of those snags and 82 of those yards came during Thursday’s game. The veteran wideout played well with quarterback Skylar Thompson early on. In the second quarter of play, he broke off chunk gains of 13 and 16 yards on consecutive downs.
It was Miller’s 53-yard grab before halftime that made the biggest difference, though. It set the Steelers up for a field goal, which he didn’t necessarily think was going to be the case per his interview with Matthews.
“I didn’t really think it was going to be there, because I thought they were going to be playing off,” Miller said. “They gave us a good look for it, Skylar just laid it up there for me and I came down with it. It was a pretty cool moment.”
Miller also opened up on being able to play with Rodgers, yet another Hall of Fame level of quarterback.
“It’s been amazing, it’s been a blessing,” Miller said. “Super fortunate to get to play alongside him. He’s one of the best to ever do it, so just trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can from him. He’s the same way — he’s just a ballplayer, he’s just out there having fun. It’s been really great getting to know him.”
At this point, it’d be a massive shock if Miller didn’t make the Week 1 roster. Even in the event of a big-time trade, his spot still seems relatively safe.
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