Lamar Miller might be the man that the Houston Texans land to replace Arian Foster. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Texans are in hot pursuit of Miller and are “working toward a deal.”
The #Texans are making a strong push to secure RB Lamar Miller before the league year begins, source said. Working toward a deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2016
It would be hard to judge how good of an overall deal this is until we see the terms. With that said, from a pure football standpoint, Miller and the Texans are a match made in heaven.
The Texans are in need of an offensive jolt. They were 15th in the NFL in rushing yards and 18th in passing yards during the 2015 season.
If Bill O’Brien uses Miller better than either Joe Philbin or Dan Campbell did, he can provide that jolt. Using Miller better than Philbin or Campbell should not be hard, as both men under utilized Miller in Miami and did so to their own detriment.
When he gets the ball, Miller is an effective back. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry in 2015 and a whopping 5.1 yards per carry in 2014. He’s also an adept pass catcher, bringing in 47 receptions for 397 yards in 2015 and 38 catches for 275 in 2014.
The best stat about Miller’s value is what happens when he is utilized well. Over the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Miller received 20 or more touches only seven times. In those games, the Dolphins were 6-1. In the other games, they were 8-17.
It’s hard to imagine that this is lost on the Texans, who are a formidable offense away from being one of the AFC’s best teams. With the signing of Miller, they’d be making a big step in the right direction.