Still looking for a new NFL home as the offseason calendar flips from May to June, Adrian Peterson has identified his hometown Houston Texans as a "dream" destination.
Although the Texans have yet to reciprocate that interest, starting running back Lamar Miller is in favor of bringing in the seven-time Pro Bowl selection.
"I used to look up to Adrian Peterson growing up," Miller told Patrick Claybon on Thursday's edition of NFL Up to the Minute. "He's a great running back. He's been a great running back in this league for years.
"It would be good to have him join us, just his leadership, seeing the things he's done in previous years, I feel like I could learn from him. It would help us out as a team."
Houston could use a runner of Peterson's caliber with Miller coming off a disappointing season and second-year back D'Onta Foreman recovering from a ruptured Achilles.
Neither Miller nor Foreman managed to generate a 100-yard rushing performance last season whereas Peterson broke the 130-yard mark twice in six games with the Cardinals. Behind a beleaguered offensive line, the 33-year-old showed trademark vision, patience, burst, jump-cuts, breakaway speed and the power to break arm tackles.
Teams are reluctant to sign Peterson as a complementary back in a committee attack, however, because his presence on the field too often telegraphs a running play.
"There's no doubt that Adrian still has some juice left in the tank, particularly from a run-skill standpoint," Cardinals general manager Steve Keim noted in February. "He still runs with a lot of anger and aggressiveness, and has the type of contact balance you look for in that position.
"But in today's day and age, we all know that you have to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, you have to be able to do a lot of different things. So versatility is really a key."
Peterson can help a team such as the Texans. The problem is that he's not worth signing unless he's going to be saddled up as a workhorse.
That's a scenario Miller wouldn't find so savory.
