After considerable speculation, the Bears have indeed traded receiver Anthony Miller. Miller has been traded to the Texans, the team officially announced on Monday. Both teams reportedly swapped late-round picks as part of the deal.
A 2018 second-round pick, Miller never fully met expectations in Chicago. In three seasons with the Bears, Miller made 17 starts in 47 regular-season games. In those games, the former Memphis standout caught 134 of 215 targets for 1,564 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 11.7 yards per catch. In 16 games (and six starts) in 2020, Miller caught 49 of 76 targets for 485 yards and two touchdowns while helping the Bears capture a wild-card playoff berth. In 2019, he set career highs with 52 receptions for 656 yards. During his rookie season, seven of his 33 receptions went for touchdowns. His play that season helped the Bears capture an NFC North division crown during Matt Nagy's first season in Chicago.
Miller's lowlights in Chicago included two in-game ejections for fighting. The second ejection took place in Chicago's 21-9 wild-card loss to the Saints in the 2020 playoffs. With the Bears trailing 7-3 less than four minutes into the second half, Miller was ejected after hitting Saints defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in the facemask.
The Bears had been trying all offseason to trade Miller but had been unable to find a taker until Saturday. Chicago reportedly had been in communication with several teams during the spring with regard to trading Miller, according to Rapoport.
The 26-year-old receiver will get a fresh start in Houston, where he will be part of a receiving corps that includes fellow veterans Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb, Andre Roberts and Keke Coutee. The unit also includes 2020 fifth-round pick Isaiah Coulter and rookie Nico Collins, who caught 75 passes for 1,361 yards and 13 touchdowns during his final two seasons at Michigan.
