Philadelphia Eagles: Does Shareef Miller have a role in 2020?

Where does Shareef Miller fit with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020?

Shareef Miller was the Philadelphia Eagles‘ forgotten man in 2019.

Despite being selected with the final pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Miller was a healthy scratch for all but one of the team’s 16 games in 2019, with his lone appearance coming in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, where he logged two special teams snaps.

On the one hand, I guess it’s a positive that every game Miller has appeared in as a pro has been an Eagles victory, but then again, you’d expect a little more production from a fourth-round pick, right? Especially when the Eagles’ defensive end rotation was far from formidable.

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So, in theory, after losing Vinny Curry in free agency – for the time being – and only replacing him with Stanford seventh-round pick – and noted Connor Barwin favorite – Casey Toohill, one would assume Miller has to be in line for a bigger role with the team when the season opens up this fall, right?

Maybe not.

You see, besides those ever-present rumors about Jadeveon Clowney making amends with the fine people of South Philly, rumors that will seemingly persist until he eventually signs (likely elsewhere) at some point in the not-too-distant future, it now appears ex-Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Everson Griffen is teasing his desire to join Jim Schwartz’s defensive end rotation, persumably in the Chris Long-role (more on that here).

In theory, could these moves be unrelated? Could the Eagles add Griffin and still give meaningful snaps to Miller? I guess anything is possible but historically speaking, teams don’t add over-30-year-old stopgaps on one-year deals this late into free agency if they are happy with their current depth.

By the same logic, if the Eagles really felt confident in their depth on the offensive line, they probably wouldn’t have needed to re-sign Jason Peters to play guard for the first time since, well, since ever, right? I like Matt Pryor as much as the next guy, but even I’m not going to suggest giving him the first nod at guard was a particularly safe strategy.

Maybe all of this speculation about adding an external, veteran option is just that, speculation. Maybe the Eagles will enter 2020 with Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett as starters and some combination of Miller, Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall, Joe Ostman, Genard Avery, and 2020 seventh-round pick Casey Toohill filling out the remainder of the minutes, but even if that’s the case, where does Shareef fit into the equation? Does he even have a viable role?

Josh Sweat’s role is clear. He finished 2019 with the third-most defensive snaps of any defensive end on the roster, and shows some encouraging signs of life as a viable speedster coming off the edge. The same goes for Avery. While many scratched their heads over the decision to trade a fourth-round pick for his services, it’s clear his athleticism can help to impact the game both as a defensive end or a stand-up OLB lined up on the second level.

In 2019, Miller was outplayed by Daeshon Hall, a former third-round pick on his third team in as many years, and probably wouldn’t have even made the team if it wasn’t for his draft pedigree.

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Is Shareef Miller the fastest, strongest, or most dynamic player on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster? No, I’d venture to say not, but clearly something about his power-focused, bull-rushing game inspired something in Howie Roseman enough to invest a fourth-round pick to secure his services last spring. If Miller can take a step forward, solidify a spot in Jim Schwartz’s rotation and flash some potential in his sophomore season regardless of any external addition, it could go a long way to solidifying his role with the team moving forward. And if not, well, the Eagles’ seemingly never-ending search for another homegrown, Day 3 defensive end will have to continue on into 2021.

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