By Lisa Zimmerman, Player Engagement Insider
Rontez Miles’ road to the NFL was filled with landmines that might have diverted others off the path. However, the safety, now in his third season with the New York Jets, continues to make only forward progress.
Growing up just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Miles’ parents wrestled with personal issues and he became somewhat nomadic, moving from place to place. He has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, and by the age of eight Miles had permanently lost all his hair. But through it all, he had football and his inner drive, which kept him focused on his goal of making it to the NFL and creating a better life.
“I knew I was going to be in the NFL since I was eight or nine, “he said. “It was all I cared about.”
The first step was his recruitment out of high school by Kent State where his step-brother played. However, after his step-brother was dismissed from the program, Miles chose to leave as well and spent a year attending community college before enrolling at California University of Pennsylvania where he became a standout for the Vulcans earning numerous awards and accolades along the way.
In 2013, Miles was a highly ranked safety on the Draft boards of many NFL scouts. He was invited to, and performed well at, the NFL Combine, so it was a shock when the 2013 NFL Draft came and went without his name being called. It was just one more hurdle.
“After [the Draft] I said, ‘OK all I have to do is get into a camp,” he recalled. “I was a little upset, but it was more fuel to the fire. I had been through enough already.”
The Jets subsequently signed him to their practice squad and Miles was finally on his way. In 2013 he was briefly promoted to the active roster before being waived and re-signed to the practice squad. Then during a practice Miles was injured and suffered compartment syndrome to his leg, which required immediate surgery to prevent him from losing the leg and he was placed on injured reserve. Another obstacle.
But through it all Miles never even considered quitting.
“I didn’t doubt myself but I thought, ‘What is God’s plan for me,’” Miles said. “I know he has a plan so I’m just going to stick to it. I was happy that they got the surgery done and saved my leg. I’ve been through so much in life and I have so much to be grateful for. I try to find a positive in everything.”
Miles fought his way back and in 2015 was elevated to the active roster. While he plays mostly special teams, in December, he recorded his first NFL interception when he picked off New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
“Some people might be happy being on the practice squad,” Miles said. “But after the first year I said,
‘Alright I need to be active now.’ Now that I’m active I feel like I’m doing my part, playing my role. But I’m not happy just being active. I want to be a starter. I want to be a key component to a game.”
His hard work and ambition has not gone unnoticed by his teammates. Miles stood out to Jets Pro Bowl, veteran cornerback Darrelle Revis right away – and not just because both are from the Pittsburgh area.
“Being on the football field he likes to attack, he’s very physical,” Revis said. “The first time I saw him was on special teams and I thought he had a lot of potential to be a good football player. He’s worked for everything that he’s enjoying now. He’s one of the leaders of our special teams and he comes in and fills a void for us anytime there’s a need in games. He knows his stuff.”
Despite everything he has gone through, Miles meets each day with a smile on his face and an optimistic view of the future. He has two daughters and his priority is being the best dad he can for them by using lessons from everything he’s been through along the way.
“It’s all made me a better person,” he said. “It was tough but I wouldn’t change any of it.”
Lisa Zimmerman is a long-time NFL writer and reporter. She was the Jets correspondent for CBSSports.com, SportsNet New York’s TheJetsBlog.com and Sirius NFL Radio. She has also written for NFL.com.