Dallas Cowboys: Would Lamar Miller fit with the offense?

The Dallas Cowboys should really take a good look at the possibility of signing free agent running back Lamar Miller to their roster, as he would do great wonders behind their stout offensive line build to run the football.

The Cowboys need that one-two punch, with Miller being the leader as he is just 24 years old, and Darren McFadden can be the guy who comes in and makes a difference with his skill set as well. McFadden stayed healthy this past season, finishing with 1,089 yards on 239 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and totaling three rushing scores.

McFadden is currently 28 years old, and he carried the football around the right number of times for the Cowboys this season, but they still need to keep building for the future, and maybe Miller is that guy.

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As for McFadden, this season was just the second time he played in all 16 games (2014 was the other season) and just the third time in his career he carried the ball over 200 times in a season.

So, should the Cowboys make it “Miller Time” in Big D? Let’s take a look.

With Miller, the Cowboys would gain a running back who was underutilized during his tenure with the Dolphins, gaining just 194 carries on the season, and for each of the past three years, he’s played in all 16 games. In ’15, Miller had the 194 carries for 872 yards and eight touchdowns, tying his TD total from the ’14 season. In that season, Miller had 216 carries for 1,099 yards, his best overall season thus far in his career.

Sep 13, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) carries the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Miller could be hitting the point of his career where he really hits his stride, so to speak, as next year will be season five. Here is a quick look at his career thus far since being drafted in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 2012 draft:

• 2012: 13 games, 51 carries, 250 yards, 4.9 avg., 1 TD

• 2013: 16 games, 177 carries, 709 yards, 4.0 avg., 2 TD

• 2014: 16 games, 216 carries, 1,099 yards, 5.1 avg., 8 TD

• 2015: 16 games, 194 carries, 872 yards, 4.5 avg., 8 TD

This past season, Miller had three 100-yard games, and in those games, he had no fewer than 14 carries per game. For his career, he has six 100-yard games.

Miller has proven in the past he’s capable of carrying the ball for a 1,000-yard season if given the opportunity, but the Dolphins didn’t do that for him. Part of the reason is they had the coaching changes, not the greatest offense on the field, and they also drafted Jay Ajayi in ’15 during the fifth round (149th overall), as he had 49 carries for 187 yards in nine games his rookie season.

Now for Miller and the Cowboys … Would he be the ultimate replacement the Cowboys need to fill the void left by DeMarco Murray’s departure following the completion of the ’14 season? In his final season with the Cowboys in ’14, Murray totaled 392 carries for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns, as that was the second 1,000-yard rushing season with the Cowboys.

Before, I thought any running back could be plugged in for Murray, but I feel I was a bit wrong in that assessment, and though McFadden did just complete a 1,000-yard season, how much does he have left in the tank as he gets closer to 30 years old?

I know the Cowboys could go the route of the draft as well, and they still might do that, but with Miller, I just have a sneaky feeling he’s due to have some major seasons if in the right situation and gets the right amount of carries, and with the run blocking attack of the Cowboys, how could this go wrong?

James Walker of ESPN.com quoted Miller in a recent article about his free agency, and even Miller spoke about getting into the right system for him in 2016:

"“‘Fit [is most important],’ Miller said. ‘How the team is going to use me to my skill set. … ‘I think I did all right,’ Miller said of his season. ‘Of course I wanted to get 1,000 yards. That was my goal coming into this season. But that didn’t happen. But I think I did a good job with my opportunities to try to help this team win and just try to make plays.’”"

The Cowboys need to keep McFadden on the roster next season and even utilize his skill set to the best of his ability, but they also need a good, young established back to take the pressure Tony Romo or whomever the quarterback will eventually be, and Miller could be that guy behind that offensive line.

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Remember the last time the Cowboys had a very solid running back, mixed with Romo on the field and great play for their offensive line? That NFC East championship season was just two seasons ago, and it could repeat itself once again if the right running back is carrying the ball, and that back could be Miller.

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