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Scotty Miller, Bucs’ unlikely hero of NFC title game, headed to Falcons

The speedster’s production and playing time had dissipated the last two seasons.
 
Scotty Miller ends his four-season Bucs tenure with 83 receptions (including playoffs) for 1,050 yards and five touchdowns.
Scotty Miller ends his four-season Bucs tenure with 83 receptions (including playoffs) for 1,050 yards and five touchdowns. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
Published March 28, 2023

Free-agent receiver Scotty Miller, who embedded himself in Bucs lore with his touchdown catch in the NFC title game following the 2020 season, reportedly has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Falcons.

Multiple news outlets reported Miller’s move to the Bucs’ NFC South rival early Tuesday evening. A sixth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2019, Miller, 25, ends his career in pewter with 83 total catches (including playoffs) for 1,050 yards and five touchdowns.

None were more significant than the one he made on the final play of the first half in Green Bay on Jan. 24, 2021. With his team leading the Packers by four in the NFC Championship Game, Miller sprinted past cornerback Kevin King and caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the left corner of the end zone. The Bucs went on to a 31-26 triumph.

Many deem it the second-greatest play in franchise history, behind Ronde Barber’s game-sealing 92-yard interception return for a TD in the NFC title game against the Eagles following the 2002 season.

To that point, Miller had provided mostly sparkling value for a sixth-round selection, totaling 46 catches for 701 yards his first two regular seasons. But he missed seven consecutive games with a turf-toe injury in 2021 and never found a stable spot in the receiving rotation after that.

After managing only five receptions in 2021, Miller rebounded mildly last season (23 catches, 185 yards), while logging 133 snaps on special teams. Now he gets a fresh start in Atlanta, which had been shopping for a fleet receiver since free agency formally began earlier this month.

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