Free-agent running back Lamar Miller is getting up to speed ahead of the 2020 season.
The former Houston Texans starting RB who missed all of the 2019 campaign with a torn ACL posted a video running and cutting.
Miller blew out his ACL in a preseason game last year in Dallas. It was doubly painful as the Texans lead back was in the final year of his contract in Houston. He was in line for a heavy workload last year before the tear ruined that plan.
The Texans moved on from Miller, having traded for David Johnson to pair with Duke Johnson.
Among free-agent options like Devonta Freeman, LeSean McCoy, Bilal Powell, Isaiah Crowell, etc., Miller could prove a difference-maker in a backfield if he's healthy -- and could cost less than someone like Freeman. In three years in Houston before the knee injury, the 29-year-old compiled 2,934 yards on 716 carries with 19 TDs.
One big question Miller must answer before finding a landing spot is whether the knee injury sapped any of his game-breaking speed. When healthy, the back proved he could run away from defenders and grind yards between tackles. Teams always stockpile speed where they can.
Given the offseason restrictions on physicals and the nature of Miller's injury, he might have to wait well into training camp -- and possibly for an injury to strike elsewhere -- to prove he's back to full form. The videos he's posted recently, however, show a baseline for optimism.
