Is it time for Steelers to replace Ray-Ray McCloud with Anthony Miller?

Ray-Ray McCloud has been incredibly underwhelming this year. Is it time for the Steelers to promote Anthony Miller to take his place on the team?

It seemed like the Steelers were going to cruise to victory against the Chicago Bears in Week 9. Up 23-13 with roughly 6:30 remaining in the 4th quarter, Pittsburgh was set to get the ball back.

Even if they hadn’t been able to pick up a single first down on the drive that would have ensued, Najee Harris and the offense would have at least been able to chew a few minutes off the clock, punt the ball back to the Bears, and make them drive the length of the field down 10 points with under four minutes remaining.

However, a bad special teams play by Ray-Ray McCloud nearly resulted in this football team being 4-4 rather than 5-3 through their first 8 games. McCloud lost a fumble that was scooped up and scored by the Bears late in the game. Thankfully, Pittsburgh was able to come back and win this matchup with a clutch Chris Boswell field goal.

This was hardly the first offense from McCloud this year. The so-called return specialist has fumbled on punt returns 3 times in his first 8 games — twice over his last two contests.

Could the Steelers look for help from perhaps a more talented player on the practice squad?

Steelers could swap McCloud for Anthony Miller

In addition to being unreliable as a return man, McCloud has been completely unspectacular as a receiver. Throughout his career, Ray-Ray averages just 5.4 yards per reception. I seem to recall that Ryan Switzer was put on a short leash, and the same should happen with McCould after not performing up to expectations.

Anthony Miller is a former second-round pick waiting in the wings for another chance to prove his worth. While he doesn’t have as much experience returning punts (just 6 in his first four seasons), he has done a good job overall as a return man, and he’s significantly more natural and productive as a receiver.

Here’s how Miller’s career stats per game compare to Ray-Ray McCloud’s since both players entered the league back in 2018, via Pro Football Reference:

While Miller never turned out to be the player many thought he would be as a high draft pick coming out of Memphis, he still has flashed in the NFL on numerous occasions. As a rookie, Miller earned 7 receiving touchdowns, and he impressed with 656 yards in his second season.

Thorugh his first three seasons with the Bears, Miller earned 134 receptions, 1,564 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He is clearly the more established receiver of the two, and I think he should be given a shot to see what he can do as the return specialist for the Steelers. At the very least, Miller might be able to give the team a slight boost on offense and another natural receiver that can get open.

Pittsburgh’s offense is far from perfect, and Ray-Ray McCloud has done almost nothing to help this unit in 2021. He should be on really thin ice right now and the Steelers might want to consider switching to practice squad WR, Anthony Miller.