San Francisco 49ers sign former Steelers WR Anthony Miller

The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Anthony Miller, announcing the deal Tuesday. The team also released Dazz Newsome in a corresponding move.

Miller spent the last two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He did not play at all in 2022 due to a shoulder injury.

The Steelers released him in June.

Ironically, the 49ers and Steelers will face off to start the 2023 regular season. Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith appeared on Good Morning Football on Tuesday and discussed how the team is preparing for the 49ers offense.

“We know we got a challenge,” Highsmith said. “And they come in week one and they got a great team. Defensively. we’re really going to have to play a great game, have a great game plan, and like you guys said, they have a lot of weapons in that offense. You know, Brock Purdy had a good first year, and so going against those guys, it’s gonna be a fun matchup. And I can’t wait.”

San Francisco’s offense, which now includes Miller among its receiver, is one of the most talented in professional football. The team’s playmakers include All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, All-Pro do-it-all wide receiver Deebo Samuel, All-Pro tight end George Kittle and 1,000-yard receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Miller was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the No. 51 overall pick. He played three years with the Bears before being traded the Houston Texans. The Texans then released him early in the 2021 season.

For his career, Miller has 140 receptions for 1,589 yards and 12 touchdowns. Most of that production came during his time with the Bears.

While the 49ers added another piece in Miller, the Steelers have had a great offseason themselves. Highsmith talked about the importance of the pieces they added during his appearance on NFL Network.

“For us, it’s just staying healthy,” Highsmith said. “And like I said earlier with my play just overall as a defense, we just got to be consistent. I think that this last preseason game we came out, we started fast. I think the key to being a good defense is coming out and starting fast every single game. It can’t just be one game. We’re coming out and starting fast. And we’ve got to start fresh every single game and it starts with week one. We just got to be able to be consistent with that all year, But we know we have the talent and the ability in our room to be the best.”