Zach Miller (tight end, born 1984)

Not to be confused with Zach Miller (tight end, born 1985), the former Seattle Seahawks tight end
Zach Miller
No. 86 – Chicago Bears
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1984-10-04) October 4, 1984
Weston, Nebraska
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: Bishop Neumann
(Wahoo, Nebraska)
College: Nebraska–Omaha
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 6 / Pick: 180
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Reserve/PUP
Career NFL statistics as of 2018
Receptions: 146
Receiving yards: 1,631
Receiving touchdowns: 15
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Zachary Scott Miller (born October 4, 1984) is an American football tight end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played quarterback and tight end in college at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early life

As a three-sport athlete at Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Nebraska, Miller earned all-state honors as a senior and earned honorable mention all-state honors in basketball. He set school records in football as a senior with 1,200 passing yards and 980 rushing yards.[1]

College career

Miller attended the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he played Quarterback for the Division II Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks from 2005 to 2009.[2]

As a freshman in 2003, Miller attended University of Nebraska–Lincoln, before transferring to University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2004.[2]

During the 2005 season, Miller started as backup, and alternated at quarterback from mid-season on. He threw for 322 yards and one touchdown, as well as rushed for 141 yards on 29 carries, scoring three touchdowns.[1]

In 2006, he was a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. He was named NCC offensive player of the week three times. He rushed for 1098 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, being named the NCC Offensive MVP.[3][4]

He finished with 3,122 career rushing and a school record 50 touchdowns.[1]

He played tight end in the 2009 Division II All-Star Game, the Valero Cactus Bowl.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m)		 240 lb
(109 kg)		 4.53 s 1.55 s 2.62 s 4.22 s 7.06 s 37 1⁄2 in
(0.95 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)
All values from Nebraska-Omaha Pro Day

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miller was selected in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[1]

He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2012.[5] He was waived from injured reserve on October 16, 2012.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On January 3, 2013, Miller was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On August 27, 2013, he was released by the Buccaneers.[6]

Chicago Bears

On December 30, 2013, Miller was signed by the Chicago Bears to a reserve/future contract.[7]

On August 15, 2014, Miller was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury in the preseason.[8]

On February 27, 2015, he signed a one-year extension.[9] In Week 9, against the San Diego Chargers, Miller caught Jay Cutler's 25-yard pass with one hand to score the game-winning touchdown;[10] it was Miller's first NFL touchdown since 2011.[11] One week later, Miller caught five passes for 107 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown pass from Cutler, en route to a 37–13 win over the St. Louis Rams; the catch was the longest by a tight end since Byron Chamberlain's 88-yard play in 1999 and the longest touchdown reception by a Chicago Bear since Matt Forte's 89-yard rush in 2010.[12]

On March 14, 2016, Miller signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract extension with the Bears.[13] He suffered a broken foot in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve on November 23.[14]

On October 29, 2017, during Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints, Miller suffered an injury to his left knee while attempting to catch a touchdown pass.[15] Miller was taken to nearby University Medical Center New Orleans where further examination revealed he not only dislocated his left knee, but also tore his popliteal artery, a serious, career-threatening injury that could require amputation. Miller underwent successful vascular surgery that day and remained hospitalized for three weeks.[16][17][18] He was placed on injured reserve on November 7.[19] Miller told reporters in December 2017 that he had eight surgeries on his knee.[20]

Miller became a free agent after the 2017 season, but re-signed with the Bears on June 4, 2018, to a one-year deal. As part of the contract, he was guaranteed $458,000 for the 2018 season, and would receive $790,000 if he was able to play.[21] However the next day, the Bears placed Miller on the reserve/PUP list, ending his 2018 season.[22] [23]

Career statistics

YearTeamGamesReceiving
GGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
2009JAX 1402121210.1622
2010JAX 1552021610.852T1
2011JAX 4044210.514T1
2015CHI 15143443912.987T5
2016CHI 1084748610.3344
2017CHI 862023611.8292
Career66331461,63111.28715
Source:[24]

Personal life

Miller is married to his wife Kristen, together they have a daughter and two sons.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Zach Miller" (PDF). Jaguars Media Guide. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Omaha Football Bio: #15 Zach Miller".
  3. ↑ "Souder, Miller, Earn MVP Honors at Football Banque".
  4. ↑ Hambleton, Ken (November 24, 2006). "UNO's Miller has record day, but Mavs loss". Lincoln Journal Star.
  5. ↑ "Jacksonville Jaguars waive TE Zach Miller injured, claim TE Brett Brackett". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Bucs Reduce Roster to 75". Buccaneers.com. August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  7. ↑ Wright, Michael C. (December 30, 2013). "Bears sign 11 to reserve/futures contracts". ESPN. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ Bears place Miller on injured reserve
  9. ↑ Mayer, Larry (February 28, 2015). "Bears ink Zach Miller to one-year deal". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  10. ↑ Mayer, Larry (November 9, 2015). "Read and React: Bears-Chargers". Chicago Bears. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ Gaines, Cork (November 9, 2015). "Chicago Bears tight end makes the catch of the year". Business Insider. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ Dubin, Jared (November 15, 2015). "Bears' Zach Miller goes 87 yards for longest catch by TE since 1999". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  13. ↑ Briggs, Brad (March 14, 2016). "Zach Miller signs two-year deal, believes he can be Bears' No. 1 tight end". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  14. ↑ Mayer, Larry (November 23, 2016). "Bears re-sign Fales, put Miller on IR". ChicagoBears.com.
  15. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff. "Bears' Zach Miller dislocates knee on awkward landing". ESPN.
  16. ↑ Patra, Kevin. "Zach Miller (knee) undergoes vascular surgery". NFL. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Zach Miller has surgery to save leg; many surgeries to come". San Diego Turbine. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  18. ↑ Kane, Colleen (November 20, 2017). "Zach Miller released from hospital: 'Freedom!!!! Guess who's home!?!?'". Chicago Tribune.
  19. ↑ Alper, Josh (November 7, 2017). "Bears promote Ben Braunecker, put Zach Miller on injured reserve". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  20. ↑ Spain, Kevin (December 11, 2017). "Zach Miller visits Bears for the first time since leg injury". USAToday.com.
  21. ↑ Dickerson, Jeff (June 4, 2018). "Zach Miller signs 1-year deal with Bears less than year after serious knee injury". ESPN. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  22. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy (June 5, 2018). "Bears place Zach Miller on reserve/PUP, ending season". NFL.com.
  23. ↑ Mayer, Larry (June 3, 2018). "Bears re-sign Miller to one-year contract". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Zach Miller". NFL.com. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
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