One of the ‘come out of nowhere’ stories from last season had to be Zach Miller, the Chicago Bears tight end, who is now entertaining offers from both the Bears and the Los Angeles Rams.
Miller didn’t play a single game for three seasons due to several injuries, but ended up becoming a very good pickup for the Bears in 2015, catching 34 passes in 15 games for 439 yards and five touchdowns. Despite the less than eye-popping numbers, it was Miller’s best NFL season (didn’t do much for the Jags from 2009 through 2011) and enough to make the Bears think about trading Martellus Bennett.
Miller is in negotiations with the Bears who seem to be his number one option, but he’s not putting all of his eggs in one basket. While the Bears could give him $5 million or more despite being 31 (although he was the playing time of someone who is just coming off his rookie contract), it might also be about the role he’ll play, which is why he’s meeting with the Rams.
The only decent TE on the Rams roster is Lance Kendricks, so Miller will be a welcomed addition. However, for a team that has a lot riding on keeping Todd Gurley healthy and basing their offense on the running game and Gurley’s abilities, Miller might not be ideal. He doesn’t do much in terms of run blocking, and add that to Kendricks and an overall offensive line that didn’t too well in terms of adjusted yards, it seems like a risky, expensive addition to make.
Miller played his college football at Nebraska-Omaha, making him a sixth round pick in 2009 by the Jags. He has only 48 NFL games since then with 79 receptions, 909 yards and 9 touchdowns. Right now he seems like someone who has a few more years to give without a problem, but age and the track record of injuries could creep up and sink him at anytime in a league as dangerous as the NFL.