Zach Miller scheduled to visit the Rams…but (3/14) re-signs with Chicago

Jeff Dickerson‏@DickersonESPN
Free agent tight end Zach Miller scheduled to visit the #Rams on Sunday.

Nick Wagoner ‏@nwagoner
Miller had huge game against Rams in ’15

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TE Zach Miller To Visit Rams

Dallas Robinson

http://www.profootballrumors.com/te-zach-miller-to-visit-rams/

Veteran tight end Zach Miller hasn’t found a new home thus far in free agency, but he has now set up his first reported visit. Miller has scheduled a meeting with the Rams on Sunday, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Zach Miller (Nebraska-Omaha)

Miller, who spent the 2015 season with the Bears, could still return to Chicago, as reports indicated that the two sides had resumed negotiations on Tuesday night — the club is looking to trade Martellus Bennett, so Miller, if re-signed, could take over as the Bears’ No. 1 tight end.. But the Rams would make a lot of sense for Miller, especially after the club released fellow tight Jared Cook earlier this month. Los Angeles still has Lance Kendricks on the roster, but the team doesn’t have a lot of other reliable receiving options, so Miller could add another dynamic in the passing game.

Not to be confused for former Pro Bowler Zach Miller, who spent time with the Raiders and Seahawks, this Zach Miller had an improbable comeback to the NFL in 2015 after not having appeared in a game since the 2011 season due to various injuries. The former sixth-round pick, who came into the season having recorded 45 career receptions, set new career highs by grabbing 34 balls for 439 yards and five touchdowns in 2015.

The 31-year-old Miller isn’t a great run-blocker, though, and neither is Kendricks, and with the Rams set up to field a run-based offense led by Todd Gurley, Los Angeles might look to find a tight end who could be an asset in that part of the game, especially given that its offensive line ranked in the bottom-third of the league in adjusted line yards in 2015. Cook, for all his faults, was a top-15 run-blocking tight end last season, per Pro Football Focus.

Earlier this offseason, Miller was said to be seeking $5MM annually, and while that figure may seem high, it could be a bit more palatable now that Dwayne Allen, for example, was able to score $7MM per year. Miller is the best tight end remaining on the free agent market, as Antonio Gates, Coby Fleener, Allen, and Ladarius Green have all signed new contracts.

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From PFF:

Zach Miller
2015 team: Chicago Bears

Miller is an interesting case — he was drafted in 2009 but to this point has only logged 1109 career snaps, and in 2015, he saw his first regular season playing time since 2011. He enjoyed a solid year in Chicago, posting the seventh-highest receiving grade among TEs while catching 81 percent of passes thrown his way and forcing 11 missed tackles – both figures ranked among the top ten at the position. Miller was particularly great late in the year with 18 of his 34 catches coming during the three-game stretch from Week 14 to 16. It will be interesting to see what happens given that he’s over 30 years old with a somewhat lackluster career resume and last season graded negatively as a run blocker. Teams could see his low mileage as a positive trait, however, and based on his play in 2015, Miller can definitely contribute in the passing game.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/02/11/pro-antonio-gates-leads-top-10-tight-ends-hitting-free-agency/

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from The top free agent tight ends of 2016

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/2/25/11103844/nfl-free-agent-tight-ends-2016-antonio-gates-dwayne-allen

Zach Miller, Chicago Bears

Unrestricted

It took six years for the potential of a former collegiate quarterback to finally come to fruition in the NFL, but Miller burst on the scene late in the 2015 season. When he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he billed himself as a “poor man’s Tim Tebow,” but his athleticism and raw abilities never developed and injuries ended his career with the team that drafted him.

After missing 12 games in 2011 and the entire 2012 season, Miller was waived from the Jaguars injured reserve, spent the 2013 season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad and the 2014 season on the Chicago Bears injured reserve. But four years after his last NFL appearance, Miller finally saw the field for Chicago and made an impact, quickly developing a rapport with Jay Cutler.

He caught a team-high five touchdown passes on the year, including a one-handed game winner in a Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers. At age 31, Miller’s lengthy injury history makes him a risky buy, but he displayed his potential as an impact player in 2015 and could be a cheap addition for an offense looking for playmakers.