How Kendre Miller plans to grow as a route runner

Kendre Miller has been studying.

The rookie running back didn’t run many routes during his time at TCU, and he lined up at receiver less than that. But Miller doesn’t see his lack of experience as an issue. He’s been watching Alvin Kamara and all the different ways the Saints used their star running back in the passing game over the years, and he thinks he can do the same things.

“It’s kind of unique,” Miller said. “I watch film every day. We watch a bunch of clips of him and how they use him in the pass game. That’s pretty cool. I feel like I can step in and do pretty much the same thing.”

READ MORE: How Kendre Miller will fit in New Orleans' rushing attack

But Miller only caught 29 passes during his college career, and almost all of them were screens or passes to the flats. He lined up in the slot just 18 times and split out 10 times last year.

Kamara has proven over the years that he has the skills and talent of a pretty accomplished slot receiver. The standard for a pass-catching running back in this offense couldn’t be higher if prime Marshall Faulk himself showed up to compete with Kamara.

One of my fave plays from RB Kendre Miller.Slippery skill to make moves in succession after a shoe-top catch.Very possible his first move after catch is coming to balance but could have even more intent. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/AChvDQiX5e— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 19, 2023

You could also argue Kamara was underutilized as a pass catcher in college. He had 40 catches for 392 yards as a junior at Tennessee, which are pretty good numbers, but low for someone who is one of the best receiving backs of his generation. The running back wasn’t used creatively in college, lining up 34 times in the slot and 13 times out wide.

Like Miller, most of the damage he did in the passing game in college was done in the more traditional ways. There were a few out routes and a couple of slants mixed in, but it was mostly screens, flares and passes to the flats. It took coming to New Orleans to see what Kamara was truly capable of in the passing game.

Not only did rookie season Kamara thrive running those more traditional running back routes, but he also was targeted on outs, out-and-ups, crossing and whip routes, wheels and almost everything else you could imagine. He played more than 200 snaps from the slot and wheel positions in 2017.

Is Miller on track for something similar? That would be a massive ask. An unfair one. There isn’t enough evidence there for anyone to make such a projection. But the Saints do believe Miller is capable of doing more in the passing game. He’ll just have to spend the offseason program working at it.

“I’m sure there’s going to be some work in progress there. But the start of that is just having the ability to (do it),” coach Dennis Allen said. “And we certainly think he has the ability to do that. We’ve seen him catch the ball. We feel like he has good hands. So, I think that’s part of his game that we’ll work to develop.”

Dennis Allen on #Saints rookie RB Kendre Miller pic.twitter.com/GvJJiWgCaM— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 13, 2023

We’ll see where it goes. Miller doesn’t need to hit Kamara’s level at receiver to be a success. If he runs the way he can and shows a little bit more in the passing game, he will have an incredibly successful rookie season. Really, if Miller gets close to contributing at the level Mark Ingram contributed later in his career, then New Orleans will have a potent passing game out of the backfield.

And that is an element that needs to return to this offense. The Saints have always been at their best when they have an effective screen game, but that wasn’t part of the offense the past few years. With a new quarterback, new weapons, and, hopefully, healthy offensive linemen, all the pieces are there for that part of the offense to return.

Would that be a little traditional? Sure, and that doesn’t sound like it will be enough for someone as hungry as Miller, who will certainly strive for more, but it would be a great starting point to build upon.