Texans remain confident in Lamar Miller-D'Onta Foreman RB duo
When Brian Gaine was asked at the NFL scouting combine whether he saw Lamar Miller as the team’s starting running back in 2019, the Houston Texans’ general manager didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Even though there were options to bolster the running back position in free agency -- namely Le’Veon Bell, who eventually signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the New York Jets -- the Texans' front office and coaching staff said they were confident in their options at the position.
And because of the confidence that Gaine and head coach Bill O’Brien have shown, it means this is an even bigger year for Miller and fellow running back D’Onta Foreman.cheap nfl jerseys china nike
Miller, who is making more than $7 million this season and accounts for more than 4 percent of the Texans’ total cap space, is entering the final season of the contract he signed in 2016.
Foreman, who returned late last season from an Achilles injury suffered in his rookie season in 2017, rushed for minus-1 yard in seven carries in one regular-season game and had a 3-yard rush in the playoff loss to the Colts. He must seize on a chance to show he can play next to quarterback Deshaun Watson for the foreseeable future.
“We’re optimistic that [Miller and Foreman] will be back and intact,” Gaine said. “We like the composition of the current depth chart. Then, we’re going to evaluate the draft here coming up. Ideally, we’d love to have a committee backfield and have contributions from various players, but Lamar was a three-down back last year and we’re optimistic that Foreman will return to full health.”cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Last season, the Texans averaged 126.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked eighth in the NFL. That number is slightly skewed by the mobility of Watson, who ran for 551 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries.
Miller is coming off of his best season in Houston, rushing for 973 yards and five touchdowns on 210 carries in 14 games. The Texans tried to manage Miller’s reps last season even without Foreman available, as they wanted to avoid overloading their veteran running back. The coaching staff also elected to sit Miller for two games while he was dealing with injuries to his ribs and ankle during the season.
