Christen Miller was one of two New Orleans Saints rookies that was not seen on the field during the first day of rookie minicamp. After practice, Kellen Moore assured media members that while Miller was dealing with an injury, it was nothing to worry about.
Miller not taking the field was more of a precaution than anything else. "You put guys in different lvels as far as the maintanence plan just to make sure they're ramping up the right way. So, that's part of the process when these come in. It's just checking on them from a body standpoint. He wasn't out there necessarily doing any field work, but he'll be fine.
Moore described Miller as having "a little injury coming in, nothing big." He did make it clear this wasn't something that was lingering from the season. Ultimately, the Saints just wanted to ensure they weren't rushing the recovery process, even if it was minor.
Christen Miller's absence is nothing to worry about
The other reason some may have thought Miller wasn't on the field Friday is because he still hasn't signed his contract. Matter of fact, the defensive tackle is the only draft pick who has yet to sign his contract. Miller being the only unsigned shouldn't be surprising nor concerning.
Second round picks are always searching for more guaranteed money, so you regularly see second rounders put pen to paper after their fellow draftees. Shough didn't sign his deal until July last year. It's nothing to be concerned about. Look around the league and you'll see other second round picks still unsigned.
Jets' second round pick D'Angelo Ponds saw 90% of his contract guaranteed. That's a 12% jump from last year's 50th overall pick a year ago. Expect Miller to get even more guaranteed money as the 42nd pick. Last year's 42nd pick saw 91.3% of his contract guaranteed. If everything is even, Miller could see his entire rookie contract guaranteed.
Miller is still in team meetings, which is most important. He obviously isn't participating due to injury, but he's still involved in the acclimation period for rookies from college to the pros. Fans should expect to see Miller on the field soon. Nothing about this sounds serious enough to carry over through the offseason.
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