Dolphins running back Lamar Miller will become a free agent on March 9, absent a new contract to stay in Miami. Wherever he goes, he wants to be the main man in the running game.
“I want to be a featured back,” Miller recently told Joe Rose of WQAM in Miami, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I want the recognition I deserve.”
As a practical matter, it won’t result in a major change to Miller’s weekly workload. As Jackson notes, Miller averaged 15 touches per game the last two years. (Technically, 15.46.) Miller said on Rose’s show that Miller wants to average 20.
Miller also said wants to stay with the Dolphins, for good reason. He played at the University of Miami, when to Miami Killian High School, and was born in Miami. Those dynamics could prompt a lowball from the Dolphins, which could in turn trigger a vapor trail from Miller.
The free-agent market for running backs has been weak in recent years. DeMarco Murray was the exception in 2015, getting a deal worth $8 million per year from Philly. Murray’s performance last year could make it harder for backs like Miller and Doug Martin to get a similar package.