Seahawks release Zach Miller, per report

The Seahawks have released veteran tight end Zach Miller, reports ESPN's Field Yates. Miller was released with a "failed physical" designation. He played in three games and caught six passes before injuring his foot/ankle, and after failing to respond to treatment, was placed on the injured reserve several weeks later.

The Seahawks ran with an assortment of tight ends last year, with Luke Willson the primary starter and backed up by Cooper Helfet, Tony Moeaki, and Rashaun Allen. Garry Gilliam played a de facto tight end in some six-offensive-linemen sets as well.

Miller was due to count $3.4M against the Seahawks cap this year and has $1M in dead money, so I'm assuming Seattle will put the $2.4M in savings toward Marshawn Lynch's impending raise. The Hawks have also been connected to Denver free agent Julius Thomas and Cleveland free agent Jordan Cameron, so it would make some sense if they go out and look to upgrade that position on the open market prior to the Draft. This year's draft class is relatively weak.

Miller now has an early start at free agency if his ankle has healed fully, and he'll have the opportunity to catch on with a new team if he gets some interest. If he doesn't get a ton of interest on the market, it wouldn't be surprising to see him end back up with the team on a reduced contract, and it wouldn't be totally surprising if Miller decided to retire. Whatever happens, best of luck to a guy that made some huge plays for the Seahawks over the years.

----

The Seahawks also released DT Jesse Williams, a fifth round pick out of Alabama in 2013. Williams had knee issues for the past two seasons and never appeared in a game for Seattle. The Hawks also released Garrett Scott, a tackle out of Marshall that the team took in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. It was discovered after the selection that Scott had a heart problem that would keep him from playing, and he was released and placed on the Non-football injury list last season.