The Chicago Bears flirted with the idea of moving on from Anthony Miller for months. He was first rumored to be on the trade block back in the spring. Yet as the weeks passed, things sort of died down. However, GM Ryan Pace has a reputation for always working the phones. Sooner or later, he’ll find a way to make a deal. Sure enough, just days before training camp he made something happen.
Once again it came courtesy of his relationship with Nick Caserio. The two worked multiple deals when the latter was running the New England Patriots front office. Now he is GM of the Houston Texans. It appears they are interested in what Miller brings to the table. So the two sides worked out a trade. One that involves a swapping of late round picks. The exact specifics are not yet known.
The #Bears are trading WR Anthony Miller to the #Texans, sources tell me and @RapSheet. Long rumored to be dealt, the former second-round pick gets a fresh start.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 25, 2021
The #Texans made a late-round pick swap with the #Bears and Anthony Miller has an new home. https://t.co/Q0HlC4TeTF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2021
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This almost felt inevitable.
Miller’s situation in Chicago took a dramatic turn back in January when he took a swing at New Orleans Saints defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. This after being warned by coaches all week to avoid confrontation with the notorious trash talker. Miller failed. Even George McCaskey himself made his frustration with the receiver known after the Bears lost that wild card game in New Orleans. A surefire sign he was in hot water.
Coaches were already frustrated with him before that. He suffered from constant inconsistency throughout 2020. Everything from bad dropped passes, running the wrong routes, and making poor decisions after the catch. His lack of discipline refused to go away. It got to a point where wide receivers coach Mike Furrey not so subtly hinted he was in serious trouble.
Anthony Miller is another in a long line of disappointments
He’s far from the first highly-drafted receiver by the Bears who ended up disappointing. Kevin White, Mark Bradley, Juanquin Iglesias are among just some of the names. Yet this one hurts a little bit more because Miller showed numerous flashes of being a really good player. He could deliver in big situations and occasionally take over games. The problem was always consistency. For every nice game, he’d have two or three where he’d disappear.
This is no doubt a big reason the team was active on the receiver market this offseason. It started with signing veterans Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd in free agency. Then for good measure, they drafted Dazz Newsome in the 6th round. That created a crowded situation on the depth chart. Speculation began to increase that the Bears may even just decide to cut Anthony Miller outright. This development at least gives the team some draft benefits in addition to $1.2 million in cap space.
It wasn’t the result anybody wanted.
Yet this is the reality of the NFL. You only have a limited time to show people whether or not you can play. Miller had three years. He had his opportunities and never did enough to take advantage. People will blame the quarterbacks but the reality is he’s the most responsible for the setbacks. Hopefully, he can find new life in Houston.