Baltimore sent veteran defensive tackle Fred Miller to…
Baltimore sent veteran defensive tackle Fred Miller to Washington in February 1973 and received a 1974 tenth-round draft choice. Colts history supports the round and year of the return, but the eventual player tied to that selection cannot be established confidently. Miller retired before appearing in a regular-season game for Washington, leaving Baltimore with a future draft asset from a veteran whose playing career had effectively ended.
Indianapolis Colts Received
- pick 1974 tenth round draft choice (selection not identified)
Washington Commanders Received
- player Fred Miller
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
Baltimore's contemporary 1973 guide lists Fred Miller going to Washington on February 9 for an undisclosed draft choice. Later Colts history identifies the return as a 1974 tenth-round choice, allowing the package to be described without attaching an unsupported player name. This treatment uses the most specific contemporaneous or club-history description available and leaves any genuinely unidentified draft choice unnamed rather than attaching a speculative player.
What Baltimore Colts Received
The Colts were dismantling an aging championship roster and obtained a future selection for a veteran defensive tackle whose knees had become a concern. The return was late, but Baltimore converted a departing player into draft capital. The return is evaluated on the assets that can be tied directly to the transaction, not on later guesses about uncertain pick chains. That keeps the historical package readable while preserving the limits of what can be established.
What Washington Redskins Received
Washington acquired a decorated veteran but never received the expected on-field value. Historical accounts of the 1972 Colts note that Miller retired rather than continue playing on painful knees for Washington. The football result matters because a trade grade should reflect both the price paid and what the acquired asset actually delivered. Immediate roster value, later movement and retained draft capital all shape the comparison.
Final Verdict
Baltimore earns a C+ and Washington a D. The tenth-round return was modest, but Washington received no regular-season contribution from Miller after the exchange. Baltimore's ability to recover any draft value gives the Colts the better side. The grade is based on the strongest documented version of the exchange and the subsequent value each club received. Where later histories disagree on a peripheral detail, the uncertain detail is left general instead of being presented as settled fact.
Miller's retirement left Washington without regular-season return.