Bengals Roster Breakdown: Eric Miller becomes latest Cincinnati native looking to make a name for himself

Throughout the summer leading up to the regular season, we will go through the entire 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster. Every single day until the season opener against the New England Patriots, we will break down a player on the roster including his background, contract status, and path towards making the team.Today, we go back to […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Eric Miller
© Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the summer leading up to the regular season, we will go through the entire 2024 Cincinnati Bengals roster. Every single day until the season opener against the New England Patriots, we will break down a player on the roster including his background, contract status, and path towards making the team.

Today, we go back to the offensive line to overview Eric Miller, the lone undrafted free agent signing at any o-line position for Cincinnati this offseason. He certainly looks the part with a height of 6-8, but will that be enough to make it through final cuts in August?

Eric Miller

  • Age: 23
  • Year: 1st
  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • College: Louisville
  • Previous Teams: None
  • Jersey Number: 74

Miller signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and was a participant during the team's local pro day. He's a native of Mason, OH just 20 miles northeast of Paycor Stadium in downtown. He opted to play college ball at Purdue, where he started during his junior and senior seasons at both left and right tackle. He was a teammate of Bengals wide receiver Charlie Jones in 2022.

Miller transferred to Louisville for the 2023 season to cap off his college career, following his head coach Jeff Brohm. Miller started the entire year at right tackle, allowing zero sacks and being flagged just twice. He was named an All-ACC honorable mention for his impressive lone year with the Cardinals. 

Contract details

Miller signed a three-year college free agent deal with the Bengals in May that will pay him the minimum salary for the 2024 season.

His salary will cost $795,000 for the entire season if he's kept on the team for the entire regular season, but with a $5,000 signing bonus prorated throughout the deal, his cap hit as of now is $796,666 for the year.

Roster chances

The good news for the Bengals is they have three solid tackles at their disposal. Veterans Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown are backed by first-round pick Amarius Mims. Confidence in edge protection for Joe Burrow has never been higher.

The bad news is really only bad for players like Miller, who don't have a clear path at making the team. 

Miller will have to fight tooth and nail to beat out the likes of Jackson Carman, D'Ante Smith, and Devin Cochran this summer in order to make the active roster. The fourth tackle on the team is also rarely active on game days, and backup guard Cody Ford also has the ability to play tackle in a pinch as well. 

With a rookie in Mims already a lock for the team, it's difficult to imagine the other backup tackle spot being taken by another rookie. Miller should have a safe path towards the practice squad at the very least.

Chances of making the roster: 7%

Previous player breakdowns

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