CLEVELAND — Veteran wide receiver Braxton Miller was signed by the Cleveland Browns on the eve of the final practice of training camp last week, but despite the late start, he is very much in the mix for a spot on the team as roster reduction day fast approaches.
Miller has one more preseason game to show what he can do for the team after getting a limited amount of repetitions in practice and the Browns’ third exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida last Friday night.
“Of course, you would always like to have the most room for evaluation, but just like other players we have had, they come here, they are being evaluated once they get here and that is all we are going off of,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said.
“I think he is picking up the offense. That tells you a little bit about his learning ability. We will see if we can put him in some positions to make some plays Thursday night. He is doing well, though.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Miller is a native of Springfield, Ohio and led his high school team, Huber Heights Wayne, to a state championship appearance against Lakewood St. Edward before going onto a prolific career as a dual-threat quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Miller completed 396 of his 667 attempts (59.4 percent) for 5,295 yards and 52 touchdowns against 17 interceptions before shoulder issues forced his conversion to wide receiver, where he caught 25 passes for 340 yards and three scores.
Additionally, Miller registered 3,315 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns on 600 carries. Miller twice rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a single season in college.
In two years with the Houston Texans, Miller caught 34 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns while playing in just 21 games.
“We are always looking to upgrade in any area, whether it be ball skills, speed or any kind of quality that a receiver may have,” Kitchens said. “(It’s) just like we are always looking to upgrade an offensive line, defensive line, every place.”
Although Miller does not have a proven track record of success for returning kickoffs and punts, the Browns know that with his running abilities, he could be an asset to the offense, as well as the special-teams coverage and return units.
“He almost pulled through one the other night on a shallow (and) we wanted to get the ball in his hands a couple of times,” Kitchens said of Miller having a unique rushing ability. “He seems like it. I am looking forward to seeing him play Thursday.
“I am looking forward to seeing a bunch of these guys play Thursday. The funny thing about competition is you are either exposed or you get exposure. Competition brings that to the forefront. When you start talking about a preseason game, that is the ultimate competition. That is what you have to go off of is how a guy is going to take it from the practice field to the game. I am looking forward to seeing how these guys respond.”