Getty Anthony Miller (middle) celebrates a Bears touchdown versus the 49ers on December 23, 2018.
With one preseason game left and roster cuts on the horizon for August 29, the San Francisco 49ers weren’t through with adding more explosion to their offense ahead of the 2023 season on Monday, August 21.
In fact, they’re adding a “big speed threat” as one insider called it.
Who the 49ers are Adding
First reported by Jordan Schultz of The Score, San Francisco is adding former second round selection Anthony Miller to their wide receiving corps — who’s anticipated to add additional acceleration for the head coach and his offensive system.
“Big speed threat for Kyle Shanahan’s offense,” Schultz posted.
Miller was last seen with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 season. He wasn’t active for the 2022 campaign as he was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending shoulder injury he sustained in August of that year.
He was originally brought into the league by the Chicago Bears as the 51st overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. The former Memphis Tigers standout managed to catch 33 passes for 423 yards and scored seven touchdowns — the latter number still representing a career-best mark.
Then in 2019, he elevated his reception total to 52 while hitting a career-best 656 receiving yards. In his last year with the Bears of 2020, he settled for 49 catches, 485 yards and matched his 2019 touchdown totals of two.
He then had a brief stop with the Houston Texans before being dealt away to the Steelers. He additionally has a return man background with 238 yards in 2020 on punts and kickoffs.
‘Ultra Competitive’ & ‘Highly Productive’ in College
The 5-foot-11 Miller came in the draft class before Deebo Samuel and the famed 2019 class of wideouts.
Miller, though, was praised in his pre-draft process for his speed and competitive nature while in Memphis. Here’s what nfl.com draft expert Lance Zierlein once wrote about Miller:
“Ultra-competitive and highly productive, Miller plays with a chip on his shoulder that has driven him to out-work the man across from him,” Zierlein began.
However, there was still one flaw Zierlein identified.
“While he played both inside and out for Memphis, some teams could struggle with figuring out his best fit. His inconsistent hands are definitely a concern, but his ability to get open and to work all three levels of the field increase his chances for success as a WR3,” Zierlein said.
And one of Miller’s other weaknesses that Zierlein mentioned at the bottom of his evaluation? How Miller had a habit of dropping simple short throws. But still, he had a rapid-fire stutter step that beat cornerbacks right away. And, he was described as someone who scratched and clawed with press coverage for possession of the ball.
His background with running after the catch will no doubt fit inside the 49ers. However, one wideout may have complicated things roster wise moving forward.
Rookie Thrived in Preseason Win, Leading to Samuel Response
While the 49ers are adding to the WR room, they had one wideout doing his part to stay in the room through his breakout night versus the Denver Broncos.
Seventh round selection Ronnie Bell was the talk of 49ers social media following an epic seven-catch, 114-yard performance in the 21-20 win over the Broncos. The Michigan Wolverine averaged 16.3 yards per catch.
Ronnie Bell is diet Deebo
Also, Lance really really loves Dagger concepts
He even won over the 49ers Faithful with this brute force stiff arm that would’ve likely made Samuel proud.
#49ers Ronnie Bell sliding down to the 7th round of the draft seems criminal 💎
And turns out, Samuel was indeed fascinated with Bell’s night — shouting his name out as he walked out of Levi’s Stadium following the Niners win.