Roy Miller

Free Agent DT Roy Miller To Retire

Free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller — who had been scheduled to serve a six-game suspension — announced on Instagram that he intends to retire from the NFL.

“I am officially retiring from the NFL,” Miller said. “Unfortunately my ex is trying everything she can to ruin any opportunity for me to work for my kids. This has caused me much pain. [H]ad some interest [from] teams but until the divorce goes through I can’t even contemplate putting a team through the drama.”

Miller, who will turn 31 years old next week, was arrested on a domestic battery charge last November, and was also reportedly involved in some sort of violent altercation last week, per TMZ Sports. Miller’s wife is filing for divorce and has asked for a restraining order, but the NFL veteran is claiming there’s more to the story.

On the field, Miller appeared in 119 games and 84 starts over a nine-year career after being selected in the third round of the 2009 draft. A University of Texas product, Miller split his first eight pro seasons between the Buccaneers and Jaguars, and played seven games with the Chiefs in 2017 before being cut.

DT Roy Miller Suspended 6 Games

Roy Miller‘s chances of catching on with a team for what would be a 10th NFL season took a hit Friday afternoon.

The NFL suspended the free agent defensive tackle for six games, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Miller signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs last year and played in seven games. However, the team released the veteran lineman after he was arrested on a domestic battery charge. It’s likely that triggered this ban.

Primarily known for his work with the Jaguars and Buccaneers, Miller has started 84 games. The Chiefs used the 30-year-old defender as a backup. He had not received any traction on the free agent market prior to this news.

Chiefs Release DT Roy Miller

The Chiefs announced that they have released defensive tackle Roy Miller. Miller was arrested for domestic battery on Saturday in Florida. Roy Miller (vertical)

Miller was taken to Duval County jail early Saturday morning after policy say he left a woman with a minor injury. While the situation sorts itself out, the Chiefs have decided to distance themselves from the veteran.

Miller, 30, made 50 starts for the Jaguars from 2013 through 2016. However, after an injury-shortened season, the Jaguars didn’t show much interest in retaining him. He landed with KC in August, but he wasn’t playing a whole lot for the Chiefs. In seven games this year, Miller was on the field for 77 snaps.

With Miller out of the picture, the Chiefs will probably look for a new nose tackle to help support starter Bennie Logan.

Chiefs DT Roy Miller Arrested On Domestic Battery Charge

Chiefs defensive lineman Roy Miller was arrested on a domestic battery charge in Jacksonville on Saturday, the Associated Press reports.

Miller was taken to Duval County (Fla.) jail early Saturday morning. The AP reports this alleged incident involved a minor injury. The veteran defensive tackle was scheduled to appear before a judge later today.

The Chiefs, who are on a bye week, are aware of the situation but are gathering information on it, declining comment, per the AP. Kansas City signed the 30-year-old defensive tackle over the summer. Prior to this season, Miller spent all eight of his NFL campaigns in Florida — four with the Buccaneers and the next four with the Jaguars.

A perennial starter with the Bucs and Jags from 2012-16, Miller has worked as a rotational player with the Chiefs. He’s played 77 snaps in seven games this season.

AFC Notes: Hopkins, Big Ben, Colts, Chiefs

Both the Texans and No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would like to reach a long-term deal this summer, and odds are that it will happen, suggests John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hopkins, due to make $7.9MM as a fifth-year option player this season, became all the more important to the Texans’ cause for 2017 after No. 2 receiver Will Fuller suffered a broken collarbone Wednesday. Fuller’s multi-month absence could mean even more opportunities for Hopkins, who easily led the Texans in both targets and receptions in each of the previous two seasons. Despite having to catch passes from middling or worse quarterbacks throughout his career, Hopkins has a history of terrific production. Thanks to his output thus far, the 25-year-old looks poised to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid wideouts in the coming weeks.

More from the AFC:

  • Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is keeping all options on the table beyond 2017, including retirement and playing a few more years. “I hope (to play multiple future seasons), but I’m only going to focus on this year,” Roethlisberger revealed Wednesday (via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review). Whether the 35-year-old sticks around will depend somewhat on how much of a beating his offensive line allows him to take this season. “If those guys up front are playing as well as they have been playing, getting sacked (a career-low) 17 times in (2016) — it might keep me around a little longer,” he said.
  • With 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett and free agent signing Kamar Aiken, the Colts have a pair of notable receivers behind starters T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. However, the unheralded Chester Rogers has emerged as Indy’s likely No. 3 wideout, according to Kevin Bowen of the team’s website. As an undrafted rookie last year, Rogers accrued 34 targets and 19 catches in 14 games (two starts), and he averaged 14.4 yards per catch. Both Dorsett and Aiken bettered Rogers’ counting stats in 2016, but the second-year man has nonetheless turned into a “virtual 12th starter for the Colts,” writes Bowen.
  • Defensive tackle Roy Miller‘s contract with the Chiefs is a one-year, $1.4MM pact that could be worth up to $2.5MM, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal includes $300K in guarantees.

Chiefs Sign DT Roy Miller

Roy Miller has found an NFL home. The former Jaguars defensive tackle has inked a deal with the Chiefs, agent Mike McCartney tweetsRoy Miller (vertical)

[RELATED: Chiefs Complete Trade With Seahawks]

Miller recently worked out for the Dolphins and the Bills, but left both auditions without a deal. After his season was cut short in Week 6 by an ACL tear, Miller is eager to prove that he can once again be healthy and productive. He was a starter for Jacksonville from 2013 up until the time of his injury, so he’s a good bet for the 53-man roster if he has made a full recovery.

Miller will push T.J. Barnes for the job as Bennie Logan‘s top backup at nose tackle. Kansas City is hoping that Logan and his reinforcements will help offset the loss of Dontari Poe to free agency.

Bills Meet With Devon Still, Others

The Bills didn’t just meet with Anquan Boldin on Monday. The Bills also spent the day looking at defensive linemen Roy Miller, Leger Douzable, and Devon Still, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Leger Douzable

[RELATED: Bills Audition Anquan Boldin]

Still, 28, only played 25 defensive snaps for the Texans in 2016 before going down with a Lisfranc injury which required surgery. A former second-round pick, the defensive tackle has never lived up to his draft billing, as he’s never started a game during his career due to health issues and lack of effectiveness. Of course, Still has dealt with plenty in his off-field life, as his daughter Leah battled cancer until announcing in 2015 she was cancer-free.

Miller recently worked out for the rival Dolphins, but left Miami without a deal. Like Still, he also was slowed by injuries in 2016 and he’s also looking to prove to teams that he’s back to 100% health. In 2015, he had 4.0 sacks and 40 total tackles for the Jaguars. From 2013 through 2016, he appeared in 50 games at defensive tackle for Jacksonville. He started in all but one of those games.

Douzable’s biggest champion, Rex Ryan, is no longer in Buffalo, but the new regime still wants to see what he has to offer. The 31-year-old defensive lineman appeared in every game for the Bills last season and made five starts. He had 43 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Dolphins Audition DT Roy Miller

The Dolphins recently worked out free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller, according to Mike Kaye of First Coast News (on Twitter). Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) confirms the news, adding that the workout took place on Tuesday. Roy Miller (vertical)

Miller is still recovering from Achilles surgery, Salguero says, and he left Miami without a contract. It’s not immediately clear whether the Dolphins are still thinking about adding him to the 90-man roster.

Back in June, Miller indicated that he was starting to get bites from teams.

There’s a few teams that have shown some interest here and there,” Miller said. “I believe my agent has a few – there’s a couple of trips I have to take – this month. It was always [the plan] to kind of wait until mid-July, so I can go out there with enough time to heal and time to get back in shape and then go out there and compete.”

From the sound of it, Miller might not be as far along in his recovery as he anticipated. His best bet might be to wait a couple more weeks before auditioning for other clubs.

Miller, 30, made 50 starts for the Jags from 2013 through 2016. After an injury-shortened season, the Jaguars didn’t show much interest in retaining him. Still, Miller offers lots of experience and he’s not far removed from a productive 2015 season in which he had 4.0 sacks and 40 total tackles.

Former Jags DT Roy Miller Drawing Interest

It’s almost July and Jaguars free agent defensive tackle Roy Miller remains on the open market. According to the player, that could be changing soon. Miller claims that he’ll soon be visiting interested clubs. Roy Miller (vertical)

[RELATED: Branden Albert Not A Lock To Start For Jaguars]

There’s a few teams that have shown some interest here and there,” Miller told Mike Kaye of First Coast News. “I believe my agent has a few – there’s a couple of trips I have to take – this month. It was always [the plan] to kind of wait until mid-July, so I can go out there with enough time to heal and time to get back in shape and then go out there and compete.”

Miller made 50 starts for the Jaguars from 2013 through 2016. Unfortunately, his 2016 campaign ended early when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 6 against the Raiders. The 29-year-old (30 in July) was expecting the Jaguars to circle back to him, but Jacksonville did not show interest in retaining him. At least he’s not alone in that regard – the Jags also moved on from defenders Sen’Derrick Marks, Tyson Alualu, Jared Odrick, Davon House, and Dan Skuta.

Now that he’s healthy, Miller might finally be able to find work for 2017.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 3.0: Defense

The initial wave of NFL free agency is now complete, and while many of the league’s top available players are now off the board, there are still plenty of quality options still on the open market.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2017:

Edge defender:

  1. Dwight Freeney
  2. Elvis Dumervil
  3. Chris Long
  4. Mario Williams
  5. Connor Barwin
  6. Paul Kruger
  7. Trent Cole
  8. Erik Walden
  9. Jason Jones
  10. Darryl Tapp
  11. Devin Taylor
  12. Eugene Sims
  13. Howard Jones
  14. Wallace Gilberry
  15. Sam Acho

The pass rushing market has been completely depleted during the first week of free agency, as 14 of our original top 15 edge players have now been franchised, signed, or, in the case of DeMarcus Ware, retired. As such, a 37-year-old with 15 NFL seasons under his belt is now the best pass rusher on the market. Dwight Freeney played on roughly a third of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2016, and posted three sacks and 18 hurries. Capable of playing in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, Freeney can still help out a club on the cheap.Dwight Freeney (Vertical)

Three players on this list — Elvis Dumervil, Connor Barwin, and Eugene Sims — were released by their respective clubs last week, meaning they won’t count against the compensatory formula if and when they’re signed. Dumervil, now 33, was hampered by injuries last season but still earned strong pass-rushing marks from Pro Football Focus. Barwin, meanwhile, wasn’t a good fit in Jim Schwartz‘s 4-3 defense, but he should flourish if he signs with a team running a 3-4 look. So far, he’s met with the Bengals (who use a 4-3) and Rams (3-4).

Chris Long has already indicated he won’t be returning to the Patriots, indicating he wants to join a roster where he’ll earn more playing time. Erik Walden, too, won’t re-sign with his 2016 club (the Colts), but he has taken a visit with the division rival Titans. Further down the list, Howard Jones has also met with at least one club, as he was hosted by the Jets on Tuesday. Jones, 27, is recovering from a torn ACL, but did post five sacks in five starts last season.

Interior defensive line:

  1. Johnathan Hankins
  2. Dontari Poe
  3. Jared Odrick
  4. Vance Walker
  5. Sen’Derrick Marks
  6. Ricky Jean-Francois
  7. Roy Miller
  8. Al Woods
  9. Tony McDaniel
  10. Cullen Jenkins
  11. Frostee Rucker
  12. Cam Thomas
  13. John Jenkins
  14. Tyson Jackson
  15. Tyson Alualu

Although top-flight players such as Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams have already been signed, the crop of interior defenders remains strong at the top. The buzz around Johnathan Hankins has been virtually non-existent, as the only club that’s been even tangentially linked to the 25-year-old is the Redskins. He’s one of the youngest free agents on the market, and therefore is probably looking for a massive payday. But the lack of interest around Hankins may be an indication that he’s simply asking for too much money.Johnathan Hankins (Vertical)

The same issue could be surrounding Dontari Poe, although he’s not wanting for meetings around the league. He’s visited with the Colts, Falcons, Jaguars, and Dolphins, while the 49ers and Raiders also reportedly have some level of interest. Clubs may have concerns about Poe’s lingering back issues, and he might have to accept a one-year deal in order to prove he’s healthy and willing to provide full effort.

The remaining defensive interior players are mostly over-30 veterans, with names such as Tony McDaniel, Cullen Jenkins, Frostee Rucker, and Tyson Jackson still looking for new deals. While most of these guys can still play, they may have to wait awhile — possibly into the summer — before signing on with their next club. Jared Odrick (Patriots) and Vance Walker (Bears) have both taken visits, but the most intriguing lineman here may be Sen’Derrick Marks, who offers a good amount of pass rush from the interior.

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