HEADLINES

Anthony Miller

49ers Place Nick Bosa On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Pare Roster To 53

August 29th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers joined the Chiefs in placing their best defensive player on the reserve/did not report list due to a holdout and joined the other 30 teams in finalizing their 53-man roster. Some changes are expected, with veterans pledged to stay. But here is how the 49ers reached 53:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/did not report list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

The 49ers are planning to re-sign Hyder and Bryant once they make other roster moves, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Both are vested veterans who are not subject to waivers. With Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu gone, Hyder figures to be a key piece as a rotational defensive end. He is with the 49ers for the third time in four seasons. After an 8.5-sack slate in 2020, Hyder signed with the Seahawks. But Seattle released him in 2021, leading the veteran back to the Bay Area.

San Francisco’s 53-man roster will include Bosa soon, and this holdout does not appear as contentious as the Chris Jones-Chiefs standoff. John Lynch has indicated the 49ers will waive Bosa’s fines for missing training camp — an option the 49ers have due to Bosa being tied to a rookie contract. While the 49ers changed defensive coordinators, bringing in Steve Wilks to replace DeMeco Ryans, D-line coach Kris Kocurek remains in place. Bosa should be able to hit the ground running once he returns, though the 49ers are running short on time here.

Gonzalez suffered a calf injury Kyle Shanahan said would keep him out a few weeks. With the veteran landing on IR, an injury settlement is likely. The 49ers used a third-round pick on Michigan kicker Jake Moody, but Barrows notes the strained quadriceps injury he suffered may keep him out of Week 1. On that note, the 49ers worked out Tristan Vizcaino and Taylor Russolino, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Robbie Gould, the 49ers’ kicker for the past six seasons, remains unsigned.

49ers, WR Anthony Miller Agree To Deal

August 21st, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers are shorthanded at the moment with respect to their depth receivers, and an addition is being made as a result. Anthony Miller has agreed to a deal in San Francisco, reports Jordan Schultz of the Score (Twitter link).

Miller flashed potential during his three seasons with the Bears, particularly in 2019. That year, he posted 52 catches for 656 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he found himself being dealt to Houston ahead of the 2021 campaign. The former second-rounder soon found himself in Pittsburgh, where he made a single appearance.

A shoulder injury left Miller sidelined for the entire 2022 season, and the Steelers released him this past June. To no surprise, the former second-rounder has found himself on the open market since then as teams have looked elsewhere for complimentary pass-catching options. San Francisco’s WR depth chart is headlined by Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, but a depth spot could be available for Miller at least to start the regular season.

2022 third-rounder Danny Gray is dealing with a right SC joint sprain in his shoulder, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on the weekend (Twitter link via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). A firm timetable for Gray’s return is not in place, but he is likely to miss time at the start of the year. He made only a single catch as a rookie despite playing 10 games, and the presence of Samuel, Ayiuk, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud and Ronnie Bell could leave Gray with a difficult path to signficant playing time upon his return.

It could also make it difficult for Miller, 28, to carve out a role presuming he survives final roster cuts next week. This deal will nevertheless allow him another chance to find a permanent home in the NFL, and prove that he has recovered in full from last year’s injury.

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.

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