The Bears may be about to join the group of teams turning the tight end position into a true threat, which is perhaps a development of potentially major significance for a team right now finding itself without a proven threat at No. 3 wide receiver.
Besides Martellus Bennett (65 catches in 2013), veteran Zachary Miller delivered a strong statement last Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles with six receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns. This was with Bennett still out on suspension, but the result may have been to present the Bears with a welcome opportunity.
“Zach, I think, has always been a good player,” said offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer. “But it’s a case where he has had injury problems in the past. So he never got to show it on the field. And basically now he’s just getting the ability to show it, and we’re just glad we have him while that’s happening.”
Miller got more chances to showcase his talents on Tuesday, turning in two red-zone touchdown catches against tight coverage in traffic, the story said. He worked with the No. 1 offense, ahead of Dante Rosario for at least the day, with Rosario nursing a leg injury from Monday’s practice. He does have some substantial proving to do, according to the piece, not having played in an NFL game since October 2011. He missed the final game of 2010 with a concussion, on IR for the final 12 games in 2011 and was in IR for all of 2012. He then failed to stick with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and sat out the 2013 season. What is especially notable with Miller is that he is earning the confidence of quarterbacks.