GOTTA HAVE DEPTH: With guys like Dre Miller, Redblacks able to roll through injuries

Published Sep 12, 2024  •  5 minute read

Ottawa Redblacks wide receiver Andre Miller (88) jumps to catch the ball, before scoring a touchdown against the Toronto Argonauts during first half CFL football action in Ottawa on Sept. 7, 2024. Photo by Justin Tang /The Canadian Press

Among the 14 players that are on the Ottawa Redblacks injured lists there are three good starting receivers in Jaelin Acklin, Bralon Addison and Kalil Pimpleton.

Yet in a game last Saturday afternoon played under a steady rain that presumably contributed to Argos QB Chad Kelly throwing four interceptions, not only did Dru Brown not turn the ball over, but he completed 30 of 40 pass attempts for 349 yards and a touchdown in the Redblacks’ 41-27 victory.

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How is that possible?

Excellent depth at the receiver position, for one, but Brown also deserves some credit for the maturity and steadiness he showed in just his 13th CFL start, traits that he’ll have to lean on as summer turns into fall down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Like Kelly, he also had to play with a wet ball, right?

“You kind of have to deal with it,” Brown said this week. “Whether that’s changing your thought process on how certain things are going to play out in your head …. you don’t want to go and try and attempt something that doesn’t make sense to attempt because it’s sopping. But honestly, in professional football, they bring in a dry ball every freaking play. In high school, you play in the rain, and it’s like you’re s— out of luck, because it’s just a waterlogged ball that you’ve had for five years.

“But yeah, you adjust, you got to figure it out. Maybe it’s not as tight as it normally is, but I still gotta throw it and guys still gotta catch it.”

From the first day of training camp, observers noted the receiving corps was the Redblacks’ position of strength.

With Acklin returning to the roster this week, Pimpleton likely to miss only another game or two, and Addison sure to be ready for the playoffs, general manager Shawn Burke has ensured his first-year starting QB has some capable hands to target even if there’s another run of injuries.

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Standing out among the fill-ins is Andre (Dre) Miller who, at an imposing 6-foot-2 and 230-pounds, would be noticed in receiver rooms anywhere.

While Pimpleton was the best player at camp, he still had to wait until the team’s fifth regular season game to make the game day roster.

The 26-year-old Miller wasn’t far behind him when it came to turning heads in May, but minor injuries that prevented him from being available every day forced the Redblacks to make him one of their last cuts.

The native of Old Town, Maine, didn’t go very far, however, and was finally elevated from the practice roster to game roster on August 28, three days before the Redblacks-Lions game in Victoria, B.C.

“Dre was banged up early, but stuck through it, and stuck to it,” said coach Bob Dyce. “He spent his time in the gym, spent his time in physio, but as well spent time in his playbook. In camp we were excited about him and for him to get on the field and actually show it …. I know he didn’t feel great about his first performance in Victoria, but what we look for is people who could put that behind him and move forward. And that’s exactly what he did last game. It’s not that we were surprised, because we know Dre is a heck of a player.”

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Indeed, Miller caught just one of five passes for 14 yards in his first CFL game, a 38-12 loss to the Lions that not many Redblacks had highlights.

But he had a big day against the Argos, grabbing five of six targets for 95 yards, including a 50-yard second-quarter TD that put Ottawa ahead 26-3.

Of his disappointing debut, Miller said: “You train this whole time to get that shot to go out and kind of prove yourself, and it doesn’t really go exactly how you thought it would. But, I mean, that’s life, you know? How many times do things always go your way and in your favour? It’s a learning curve. Came back and had a pretty successful day the next week, so just got to keep building. Can’t get too high, can’t get too low, just keep improving.”

Miller’s path from Maine to Ottawa was long and winding.

He started his college career in 2016 at Husson, a Division III school just outside his home town in Bangor.

He bumped up to Division 1 in 2018, where he would spend the next four seasons catching passes for the Maine Black Bears and, as a sophomore, set an all-time record with a 90-yard TD reception.

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In 2021 he appeared in nine games and had 39 receptions for 684 yards and six TDs to earn a berth on the All-CAA first team, but it wasn’t enough to get him drafted into the NFL.

Miller signed as a free agent with the New York Giants, who converted him to tight end, then released him 15 months later.

Last summer, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers but was cut by them a few weeks later.

The Redblacks inked him last May and while Miller had heard about Ottawa from former Black Bear-turned-Redblack DB Sherrod Baltimore, he didn’t know the extent of the team’s receiving depth.

He was also pleased to be returning to his original position, where he gives the Redblacks a former NFL tight end who is a distinct weapon against the CFL’s smaller defensive backs.

“Playing receiver, that’s what I’ve done my whole life, so it felt kind of good to get back to what I normally do,” said Miller. “In the NFL, it was a struggle because I was learning a new position on the fly, trying to play at the highest level possible while being an undersized tight end at the time. It’s a totally different world in there when you’ve been outside and catching passes your whole life, and then you’re down in a three-point stance, kicking out the wheel on a fullback lead, you know? There’s a lot of learning.

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“I think I’m very versatile in that aspect. Even though I was an undersized tight end, I wasn’t losing every rep. That’s one thing I kind of pride myself on. I might be at a disadvantage, but I’m not going to lose every rep that I’m blocking or doing whatever I’ve got to do, and then on the flip side, I would have linebackers and safeties trying to cover me in the slot, so that’s to my advantage. That was my thought process with the whole tight end stuff, but obviously just getting back to receiver and kind of doing what I’ve done my whole life is better for me, I feel good.”

The Redblacks feel good about having Miller, who was an important player in their last game and could still have a prominent role the rest of the season.

But even if he doesn’t, Ottawa should be the former Black Bear’s football home for years to come.

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