Lamar Miller had an improved season with the Miami Dolphins whether he got the carries to prove it or not. When the Miami consistently ran the ball with Miller, they won. When they relied on the passing game, they lost. Now with free agency around the corner, Miller is not certain a return to South Beach is in the cards as the running back makes it clear he wants to sign with a team that plans on using him more than the Dolphins did.
Miller could be a sought after free agent as he led Miami in rushing with 872 yards on the year while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. That fell short of his goal, but coaching changes and scheme changes did not help the cause. That has Miller thinking about his future with Miami. He told the media he will consider everything, including who gets hired as the new coach, when thinking about where he will play in 2016.
"Fit [is most important]," Miller said, via ESPN.com. "How the team is going to use me to my skill set. I know this year sometimes we were in bad situations so we had to throw the ball. Like I said before, it'd be great to continue playing my NFL career here in my hometown. But this is a business and I'm going to sit down with my agent and we're going to talk and go from there."
Throwing the ball is what got Miami in trouble a lot this year. Ryan Tannehill failed to make the jump following a long-term contract extension that basically guarantees his place in South Beach for another two seasons. According to Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are considering Tannehill when hiring their next head coach, aware they need someone who can work to his strengths.
There is lingering doubt in Tannehill's future considering he has yet to put together a consistent showing in his NFL career. According to the Palm Beach Post, the idea that the Dolphins draft a quarterback at some point this season is not far-fetched. The team will not make the move in the first round or even the second round, but they could bring in a young talent to develop and potentially take over should Tannehill continue to struggle. With players like Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch likely gone in the first round, Jake Coker, Christian Hackenberg, Kevin Hogan and Connor Cook could be realistic options for Miami should they make a move.
The Dolphins have a lot to do this offseason. After being major spenders last offseason, the results did not come like they were hoping they would. In need of a lot of upgrades, the new head coach will get busy right away.
