December 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) runs after a pass reception as Cincinnati Bengals strong safety Chris Crocker (left) defends during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Cincinnati Bengals won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It was extremely unlikely that Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller would be ready to play at any point during the Steelers’ first four games, though, there was some hope he could return earlier than expected.

It appears doubtful.

According to TribLive.com, Miller is all but certain to be ruled out of action for the first month of the season and it could be longer than that.

Per Alan Robinson:

Tight end: Heath Miller probably won’t be back at least for the first month of the season and perhaps longer. Except for Ben Roethlisberger, no player is more important to both the running and passing games than Miller, a blocker nonpareil and the team’s best receiver last season. No disrespect to David Paulson and Jamie McCoy, but in no way do they resemble Miller. The Steelers badly want to regenerate their running game, and getting Miller (and Matt Spaeth) back will help Le’Veon Bell and the other backs. But when?

Losing Miller was a big blow to the Steelers, but it’s survivable assuming Miller can get back after that first month. If not, there will be some extremely large shoes to fill.