Miami Dolphins not expected to re-sign Lamar Miller
By Jason Parker
The Miami Dolphins are reportedly ready to move on from running back Lamar Miller and explore other options at that position.
For his entire football career, Lamar Miller has been playing in South Florida. Growing up in the suburbs of Miami, Miller was a high school star before moving on to play for the Miami Hurricanes and later be drafted by the hometown Miami Dolphins.
After four years with the team, in which he took over the starting spot and became one of the surprising stars in the league, it appears as if Miller will be moving away from home once NFL free agency begins on Wednesday afternoon.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the team will not make an effort to re-sign Miller and will explore other options:
"The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys appear to be the front-runners for Miller, who contributed 1,269 total yards and led the Dolphins with 10 touchdowns last season.But it appears that Miami has thrown in the towel on retaining the 24-year-old, and is shifted its efforts towards pursuing other tailbacks."
Miller’s expected departure from the Dolphins leaves them on the hunt for another starter on the offensive side of the ball. The returning back will be Jay Ajayi, who ran for under 200 yards last season and scored just one touchdown. Numbers like that mean the Miami Dolphins will have to turn their attention to the free agent market.
One possible option is Matt Forte, who played for new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase last season when he was the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears. He ran for over 1,000 yards in five of his eight seasons with the Bears and comes in with a smaller asking price than Miller (in part due to his age).
Other options could include Alfred Morris, who is not expected to resign with the Washington Redskins in the offseason, and C.J. Anderson, who played for Gase when the coach served as the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.
Veteran backs available will include Arian Foster, who has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons, and former Dolphins running back and returner Reggie Bush, who is expected to depart the Detroit Lions.