When asked about his favorite wide receiver on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger delivered an interesting take. Despite the loaded wide receiver room during his nearly two-decade-long stint, he chose someone from the tight end position. Ditching icons such as Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ben picked former tight end Heath Miller as his top receiver. And guess what? The ex-QB’s praise for the player goes far beyond his numbers. 

“My favorite receiver to play with was Heath Miller,” he said on The Deebo & Joe Podcast. “And I know he’s a tight end… Heath Miller was different. Heath Miller was a guy that, when he dropped the pass, it was like a record screech, right? He was always in the right place…Heath Miller was the type where I’d be like, ‘Hey, Heath, were you open?’ And he’d be like, ‘No, I think there were guys,’ and I’d look at the picture, no one around him. You know what I’m saying? Like selfless, like just selfless.”

On his podcast, former Steeler James Harrison asked Ben Roethlisberger to name his favorite receivers. The question really made Ben reflect on past years, and he did come up with a few names. The list of “great” receivers included Antonio Brown, Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Jerricho Cotchery, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. But in his view, none came close to Heath Miller, who didn’t even play that position.

Selected as the 30th overall pick in 2005, Miller joined the Steelers when Roethlisberger had completed his rookie year. It was his reliability and selfless mindset that stuck with the former QB after all this time. Ben highlighted how he differed from receivers who would insist they were open, only for game tapes to show otherwise. Miller would do the opposite so that there were enough opportunities for others, a trait that Roethlisberger values to this day.

The duo played together from 2005 to 2015, the year Miller hung up his cleats. During this stretch, Miller and Ben developed an undeniable chemistry. They pulled off explosive plays downfield while operating on instinct when the pocket collapsed. 41 of his 45 total touchdowns came from Roethlisberger. On a personal level, Miller’s run included two Pro Bowl selections in 2009 and 2012.

He was also a runner-up for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Miller remained consistent throughout his career and contributed significantly to the offense. Before exiting the NFL, he had caught 592 receptions on 770 targets and piled up 6,569 yards along with 45 touchdowns. Long after Miller’s retirement, Roethlisberger weighed in on the moment and summed up their relationship.

“He told me it was official, that he was retiring,” Roethlisberger said via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He thanked me for being his teammate and said how lucky he was to play with just one quarterback for all of his 11 years in the NFL. I told him he had it all wrong. I told [him] I was the lucky one.”

Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger’s comments about Miller come after he weighed in on Pittsburgh’s QB situation, involving Will Howard.

Ben Roethlisberger vouches for Will Howard amid uncertainty

The Steelers are still trying to find their way around their unpredictable quarterback department. Sadly, it is their third straight offseason that lacks a long-term quarterback on the roster. They also signed Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in 2024, having split with Kenny Pickett. But the bad relationship Wilson had with the coaching staff and his performance that had been inconsistent only served to end his tenure. The next year, the Steelers signed an offensive turnaround to Aaron Rodgers on a one-year contract.

The bold move succeeded, as Rodgers put up a convincing 3000-yard season in which he tossed 24 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. Moreover, the QB led Pittsburgh to its first AFC North crown since 2020. But since the season ended, the team received a concrete answer from his end. He previously hinted that 2025 could be his last campaign.

Still, he hasn’t completely shut the door on returning this year. The Steelers have already started planning without Rodgers, while not completely ruling out his comeback. They currently have Will Howard and Mason Rudolph on the roster. They could still add a veteran or draft young talent to overcome the situation. But Ben Roethlisberger thinks it wouldn’t hurt for the Steelers to try out their existing options if Aaron doesn’t return.

“I’m a big Will Howard fan,” Ben said. “I would love to give Will Howard a chance.”

In fact, Rodgers echoed a similar message while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this month.

“I’m a big Will Howard, not just [a] fan as a human, but [a] believer as a player,” Rodgers said. “And when his time comes, he’s going to be more than capable of being, not just a consistent starter, but a guy who can stick in the league for a long, long time.”

Howard is coming off an impressive college run with the Ohio State Buckeyes. In 2024, he surpassed 4,000 passing yards and threw 35 touchdowns en route to a national championship-winning season.