We pointed to Miami's crowded backfield as one of the top position battles in the AFC, but it's Lamar Miller's job to lose.
With Knowshon Moreno still healing from arthroscopic knee surgery, Miller has topped the depth chart all summer and looms as a solid bet to improve on last year's underwhelming campaign in new coordinator Bill Lazor's Eagles-centric attack.
"He told me that the opportunity is great," Miller said of Lazor over the weekend, per The Miami Herald. "They always keep the defense on their toes. Once you get the ball, you've got to take advantage of the opportunity."
Miller added eight pounds of muscle this offseason in an effort to break more tackles and improve on last year's 2.06 yards after contact per attempt, which ranked 24th in the NFL
"He looks good, he looks stronger than he's ever been," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin told the newspaper. "I don't think he's sacrificed any speed whatsoever."
Miller's rookie average of 4.9 yards per carry fell to 4.0 last season, but we expect that figure to climb back up with Lazor telling us over the summer that Miami has a scheme that will emphasize "big plays in the running game" by getting its "backs in space" as Philly did with LeSean McCoy in 2013.
Miami's new-look offense is one of the more under-reported stories of the offseason, but duplicating Chip Kelly's magic in South Beach would make the Dolphins a juicy dark-horse in the AFC East.
The latest Around The League Podcast visits with former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and discusses the best of the early training-camp surprises.
