Getty
The Cowboys could be an ideal landing spot for Saints RB Kendre Miller.
The Dallas Cowboys could be an ideal destination for a young running back from the New Orleans Saints who is considered a candidate for the roster.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report lists Saints running back Kendre Miller among his seven players currently on the NFL roster who could help teams before cut day. The Cowboys are named as a team the 22-year-old running back could help, with Dallas being named as the “obvious place” since they don’t have a viable starting running back.
“The Cowboys would be the obvious place,” Ballentine wrote on Saturday, August 24. “There’s not much to get excited about with their backfield. What’s left of Ezekiel Elliott could be the No. 1 running back that Rico Dowdle wants to pass. Signing or trading Miller would give them a younger running back with more upside.”
Why the Saints could release or trade Kendre Miller
Miller was only selected in the third round of last year’s draft, but he is buried in the Saints’ rankings behind proven veterans Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams. The 6’1″, 220lb running back was limited by injuries last season and only played in eight games while completing just 112 offensive snaps.
The TCU graduate finished his rookie season with just 156 yards on 41 carries (3.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown. In fact, during Kamara’s three-game suspension at the start of the 2023 season, it was Williams and Tony Jones – not Miller – who started those games in his absence.
It’s telling that head coach Dennis Allen hasn’t hidden his frustration with Miller’s struggles to stay healthy.
“He’s talented. I know he’s talented,” Allen said. “But I don’t know if he can learn the system. I don’t know if he can understand the system because I haven’t seen him out there yet.”
Allen mentions that he can only rely on “college footage” of Miller, as there is limited game footage of him in the pros.
“I can only go by what I could judge and, to be honest, since we signed him, was not much of new information that I didn’t see on the college tape because he wasn’t available,” Allen said. “Whatever the case may be. But it’s hard to judge that. Hopefully we can get him here and get the opportunity to assess where he is. But it certainly makes it a lot more difficult, that’s for sure.”
Why the Cowboys should sign Kendre Miller
In Miller’s defense, he had a heck of a season his junior year, helping lead the TCU Horned Frogs to a national championship appearance. Miller ran for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry, ranking eighth in rushing touchdowns. He also ran for 7.5 yards per carry as a backup in his sophomore season in 2021, leading the nation in yards per carry.
Considering the Saints are paying Kamara $15 million per year as one of the highest-paid running backs in the league and paying Williams – who led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in the 2022 season – $4 million per year to complement Kamara, there’s really no reason to keep Miller on the roster.
Although Miller still has some value, the Saints would benefit from trading him to a team in need of a running back, such as the Cowboys, and receiving a draft pick in the process.
The Cowboys probably don’t want to start the season with a past-his-prime Ezekiel Elliott and a bunch of unproven running backs who have never been in the starting lineup — Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn — in the backfield. In Miller, Dallas has a potential starting running back and someone who has little wear and tear as a second-year player.
DJ Siddiqi covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before joining Heavy, he covered the NFL and NBA for Forbes, ClutchPoints, CBS Sports, 24/7 Sports and Bleacher Report. More about DJ Siddiqi
