Getty Former Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller.
The Kansas City Chiefs added to their offense on December 20 by signing wide receiver Anthony Miller and tight end Izaiah Gathings, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
Miller, 29, entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2018. Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 199 pounds, Miller broke onto the NFL scene with a strong rookie campaign in which he registered 33 receptions for 423 yards and 7 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference.
He saw a boost in playing time during his second NFL season (64% of offensive snaps played compared to 57% his rookie year) and as a result, also saw an uptick in production by way of a 52-656-2 stat line. But that upward trajectory in production took a step back in year 3 (49-485-2).
In July 2021, the Bears traded Miller to the Houston Texans, but his impact on the field was minimal. Since his stint with the Texans, he has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, and Indianapolis Colts.
Overall, Miller has a 61.7% catch rate during his NFL career. To put that into perspective, Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney, who has dealt with his fair share of drops this season, has a 71.1% catch rate in 13 games played. Toney’s career catch percentage is 71.3%.
Miller joining the defending Super Bowl champions comes in the wake of the team placing receiver Skyy Moore (knee) on injured reserve. Miller is capable of playing all three receiver positions and could help Kansas City’s struggling receiver room down the stretch of the 2023 season if he’s able to learn the playbook fast enough.
Izaiah Gathings Played for KC During Summer
Gathings, an undrafted rookie from Middle Tennessee State, played for the Chiefs this summer. After participating in part of the New York Jets’ offseason program, he signed with the Chiefs in July. Gathings, 23, participated in training camp and the preseason as a member of the Super Bowl champions before being cut during roster cutdowns.
Gathings, who played wide receiver in college, had 60 receptions for 559 yards and 2 touchdowns during his senior season with the Blue Devils in 2022, according to the school’s website.
The Chiefs will need to make a couple of corresponding moves to make room for Miller and Gathings on the active roster (unless Wilson meant to report that they are both signing to the practice squad). So keep an eye on Wednesday’s transaction log to see who is out in Kansas City.
Twitter/X Reacts to Chiefs Signing Anthony Miller
Users on X, formerly Twitter, reacted to the Chiefs signing Miller.
“This is kinda cool. A few Chiefs fans were calling for a Miller trade when he was with Chicago. He didn’t end up panning out anywhere but with this WR group, it’s always fun to hope,” one user wrote.
“Curious to see what the moves are to sign them…If to the active roster which is what this seems to suggest (Blake) Bell could be gone which makes sense,” another user wrote. “Not sure the move at WR which this would also suggest. Hope there aren’t big injuries that haven’t been reported yet…”
Comments
Chiefs Sign Bears’ Former 2nd-Round Pick WR: Report