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Pittsburgh Steelers: Heath Miller Announces Retirement

By Dan Thomas

Nov 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) runs with the ball after catching a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) (not shown) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Steelers 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) runs with the ball after catching a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) (not shown) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Steelers 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have another hole to fill this off-season as the Steelers longtime TE Heath Miller has announced his retirement from the NFL.

Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) runs the ball against Cleveland Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) runs the ball against Cleveland Browns linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports /

Miller has been the Steelers starting TE since being drafted in the 1st round (13th overall) in the the 2005 NFL Draft. He finishes his career as the Steelers all-time leader in TE touchdowns and receptions.

Miller was expected to open the 2016 season as the Steelers starting TE because talk of retirement was not heavily-speculated and he also had one-year remaining on his contract.

So now what?

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The Steelers now have three TE’s on their roster: Matt Spaeth, Jesse James and Xavier Grimble. Between the three, they have 63 regular season receptions in a combined 12 NFL seasons. Miller had 60 receptions in 2015 alone.

Spaeth is a nine-year veteran who will turn 33 in November. He has spent seven of those nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and only has 55 career receptions. He is the Steelers blocking TE.

James was a 5th-round rookie last year and finished is first season with 8 receptions. James only played 181 offensive snaps last year.

Grimble was signed by the Steelers to a future/reserve contract. He has yet to appear in a regular season game.

Although James appears to have the most upside of the bunch, it seems unlikely that any of these three are capable of being the Steelers starting TE for the 2016 season.

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The Steelers are now expected to address the TE position in free agency or the NFL draft. If they fail to find Miller’s replacement in free agency, Arkansas TE Hunter Henry could be a guy the Steelers look at with the #25 pick in April’s NFL Draft.

The Steelers currently have a number of holes they need to address during the off-season such as Cornerback, Safety, Left Tackle and Guard. They can now add Tight End to the list.

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