When wide receiver Breshad Perriman left in free agency, signing a one-year, $8 million contract with the New York Jets, it opened up a spot for a new weapon to emerge within Tampa Bay’s offense.

Through three weeks of the 2020 season that new weapon looks to be on pace for a breakout season, as Scotty Miller leads the Bucs in receiving yards, just like everyone expected. A lightning quick receiver drafted in the sixth round out of Bowling Green in 2019, numerous hamstring injuries suffered throughout Miller’s rookie year limited him to just 10 active games. In those 10 games, including two starts to end last season, Miller hauled in just 13 receptions for 200 yards, including his first career touchdown in Week 17.

“He’s another great, consistent, dependable, trustworthy player,” quarterback Tom Brady said about Miller in August. “Whatever we talk about, he takes it to the next practice and his play is showing everybody that he’s earned a big role. You can trust where he’s going to be, he makes the plays when they come his way. He’s really been fun to work with and fun to see grow from the minute I got here.”

Those comments came to fruition quickly in Miller’s five-catch, 73-yard performance in Week 1 – trailing just Chris Godwin for the team-lead in both receptions and receiving yards – and Brady spoke again the following Wednesday about what makes Miller so fit to produce in the Bucs’ offense this season.

“I think just his commitment,” Brady said. “How he approaches practice, how he’s so stable on a daily basis and how you continue to see improvement. He’s working hard at the right things, he’s focused on the right things. His priorities are in line with what his goals are. He wants to be a good receiver, so he’s really focused on being a good receiver. Which means he’s putting the commitment into the game physically, he’s learning more about the game mentally, he asks great questions, he’s on it. I have no doubt he’s going to keep making plays for us.”

One of the most common misconceptions about Miller, due to his 5-foot-9, 185 pound stature – and probably a little due to his complexion – is that people like to look at Miller as a slot receiver, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Of his 177 snaps at wide receiver in 2019, Miller lined up in the slot on just 47 of them with 130 snaps out wide, per Pro Football Focus. In his 144 snaps in 2020, Miller has lined up in the slot on just 26 of them with 88 snaps coming lined up out wide.

I took a look at all of Miller’s touches so far this season, and I have to admit that he surprised me from Week 1. I didn’t see him being used in the fashion I thought he would considering his average depth of target in 2019 was nearly 18 yards downfield on his 26 targets. Coming into the season, I thought that he would have a very specific niche carved out in the Bucs’ offense, used mostly on vertical routes going down the sideline.

We know that with sub-4.4 speed, Miller is a speedy receiver who can take the top off of any defense, but when we look at his production through three weeks, it’s clear that he’s got a toolbox that makes him capable of so much more than that in this Bucs offense.

Week 1 @ New Orleans

Miller’s first catch of the year was just a manufactured touch on a quick bubble screen in an attempt to get him into open space where he can use his speed. In the red zone with a single-high safety, Chris Godwin motions to the right side of the formation, leaving just two cornerbacks over Miller and Mike Evans. Evans seals his block on Marshon Lattimore and it’s a race to the boundary between Miller and veteran Janoris Jenkins. Miller’s six-yard gain leaves the Bucs with a third-and-one.

On this third-and-nine play, Evans runs a seam route from the boundary slot and this leaves Miller with a lot of open space to beat Jenkins in a one-on-one matchup toward the middle.

Miller’s first move sells a go route down the sideline by feigning outside out of a stutter release, knowing that Jenkins will have to adjust quickly due to Miller’s speed. The moment he gets the veteran cornerback to flip his hips to the outside of the field, Miller breaks down and transitions into this dig route for an eight-yard gain. Knowing that cornerbacks have to constantly remain aware of Miller’s speed, it opens up the playbook for him underneath, and his quick feet and plus route-running allows him to execute.

On Miller’s third target of the season below, his speed creates an opening once again. When the ball is snapped, Jenkins is lined up over 10 yards off of the line of scrimmage and when Miller starts breaking down into his curl route, Jenkins is still backpedaling with five yards of cushion. This allows Miller to come out of his stem and bring in the perfectly-timed pass from Brady for an easy 10-yard gain on first down. Per Next Gen Stats, Miller averages 7 yards of cushion, just 1.8 yards off of the league leader.

On this play, Miller motions across the formation and again gets a bubble screen, relying on a solid block from Evans as he takes the play for a gain of six yards on first down around midfield.

On the very next play following Miller’s screen, Brady takes a shot downfield in his direction. After making several plays underneath, with none of his five catches on the day going for more than 12 yards to this point in the contest, Miller finally gets a chance to make a play downfield against Patrick Robinson in press coverage.

Because he had hauled in so many shorter completions, Miller uses that in an attempt to sell a double move. Miller struggles to gain separation on a perfectly-thrown deep ball from Brady, but the play ultimately results in a 28-yard gain on a defensive pass interference penalty from Robinson.

On Miller’s final target of the day, he finally breaks loose for a 37-yard completion down the left side of the field.

In a two-high safety pre-snap look from the Saints, the Bucs are aligned in a 3×1 formation with Miller isolated one-on-one with Jenkins to the boundary. When the ball is snapped, safety Marcus Williams rotates to the center of the field, while still shading to the 3-receiver side.

Miller hesitates off of the line and gives a jab step to the outside before breaking inside on Jenkins, giving himself leverage to the field side where D.J. Swearinger has vacated his zone, forcing Jenkins to either recover and make a play on the ball across Miller’s body or rely on Williams to cover a ton of ground to break up the pass. The Saints’ defensive backs are unable to recover in either case, and Miller is able to come down with the diving grab for the Bucs’ biggest gain of the day.

Week 2 vs. Carolina

Heading into Week 2 against Carolina, with Godwin sidelined with a concussion and a less-than-stellar secondary, it was presumably a great opportunity for Miller to have another productive day, but he was only targeted three times for two catches and 12 total receiving yards.

After gaining six yards on another curl route with plenty of cushion in the first quarter of Week 2, Miller made his first true mistake of the season that could have given him a much bigger day than he had. On first-and-10, just outside of Carolina’s red zone on the 21-yard line following a 50-yard gain from Brady to Evans, Miller finds himself wide open in the end zone on a deep over, beating rookie safety Jeremy Chinn. Brady gives Miller a perfect pass for his first potential touchdown of the season, but the young receiver can’t haul it in.

The drop from Miller was his last target until halfway through the third quarter when he got another shot on third-and-3. Pre-snap the Panthers show 2 deep safeties, but when the ball is snapped Carolina transitions to a single-high look. Brady sees the safety buzz down and takes a shot downfield on a go route from Miller. Miller is able to get half a step on Donte Jackson despite press coverage, and while the pass is thrown a bit too far outside, Jackson is flagged for a 23-yard defensive pass interference penalty and the Bucs are able to pick up a first down. The pass interference penalty was Miller’s second drawn in as many weeks.

Week 3 @ Denver

And in the Bucs’ third game of the season against the Broncos, Miller needed just three reception to set a career-high in receiving yards with 83 on a wild 27.67 yards per reception.

Early in the second quarter on third-and-8 the duo of Brady and Miller started to develop a trend for going deep in third down situations, with Miller breaking free for a 47-yard reception.

On third-and-8 from the Tampa Bay 27-yard line, Scotty Miller was lined up on the inside of a 2×2 formation and ran a deep over, bending it vertically when he reaches safety Justin Simmons. With ample time in the pocket, Brady steps up and throws a strike downfield to Miller for a big gain to the Denver 26-yard line.

On Miller’s third and final reception from Week 3, Miller gets his first reception out of a true slot position that isn’t one of the bubble screens he hauled in against New Orleans. In the fourth quarter with the Bucs attempting to convert a 3rd-and-28, Miller finds a hole in the zone and gains 26 yards on the reception, nearly reaching a first down on the play.

Studying the first three weeks of Miller’s 2020 tape, it’s clear that he can make an impact in a variety of ways. He isn’t a slot receiver like he’s often rumored to be, and he isn’t a single-faceted vertical threat like he appeared last season. Miller’s speed is often what creates his opportunities underneath, but his well-rounded skill set is what allows him to execute when given those opportunities.

Miller has totaled 167 yards through the Bucs’ first three contests, putting him on pace for nearly 900 yards on the season. While he was used most frequently and with the most variety against New Orleans in Week 1, it will be interesting to see how the Bucs attack future match-ups with Miller. The door may be open for another big game for the sophomore wideout in Week 4, with Godwin potentially set to miss time with a hamstring injury.