WR Miller reportedly heading to Houston

2nd-round pick in 2018 draft never was able to develop consistency

Gone are the days of the Bears talking about the potential of a breakthrough for Anthony Miller.

The wide receiver showed promise in his rookie season of 2018 after the team traded up in Round 2 to select him 51st overall, out of Memphis catching 33 passes for 423 yards while showing a nose for the end zone with seven touchdowns. Miller struggled to show consistency after that season, though, and too often the staff would talk about attention to details when it came to his play. The Bears also would rave about improvements Miller had made, but progress and consistency were difficult to find. The team began trying to deal Miller earlier this offseason and reportedly found a taker Saturday, trading him to the Houston Texans in a deal NFL Network said involves a swap of late-round draft picks.

Never mind that the team once again talked up Miller this spring. His fate pretty much was sealed after last season.

Miller, in the final year of his rookie contract, gets a fresh start with the Texans, who are in need of playmakers a little more than a year after dealing away star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

The Bears now move on at slot receiver with Damiere Byrd an interesting target as the team prepares to report for training camp Sunday.

Miller caught 49 passes for 485 yards and two touchdowns last season. The highlight was a 28-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles with 1 minute, 56 seconds remaining in a 30-26 comeback victory at Atlanta in Week 3. Miller’s playing time dipped some in the second half of the season, and his final act on the field was being ejected from the wild-card-round playoff loss at New Orleans for punching Saints cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The Bears had made a point of telling players not to engage Gardner-Johnson in days leading up to the game as Javon Wims had been ejected for a tussle with the same player during the regular-season meeting.

It’s the second year in a row the Bears have flipped a second-round draft pick for a late selection.

They traded tight end Adam

Shaheen to the Dolphins last July. The team wound up getting a sixth-round pick in return, and Shaheen fit in for the Dolphins pretty quickly, earning a two-year, $4.85 million extension.

With any luck, Miller will flourish in his new surroundings, and the Bears will be better off seeking a reliable third option after Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney.