They have had preliminary discussions with Miller but no in-depth negotiations yet. And there have been no discussions with Vernon.
Even though the Dolphins already stand above the projected 2016 salary cap, keep in mind that they can clear out substantial cap space in a variety of ways, some relatively painless.
In Miller’s case, the Dolphins might have a possible replacement in Jay Ajayi --- every top Dolphins executive keeps calling Ajayi a three-down back --- but nobody has seen nearly enough of the rookie to know that for sure.
Be very careful not to underestimate Miller; his 5.1 yards per carry average last season was second among all NFL backs (behind only Baltimore's Justin Forsett) and tied Ronnie Brown (2007) for the highest per carry average (minimum 30 carries) by any Dolphins running back since 1981, when Tony Nathan averaged 5.3.
And Miller was better in short yardage than the perception: On 3rd and 1 or 2 last season, Miller converted 11 of 14 chances into first downs, averaging 4.9 yards on those 14 carries. He converted one of two chances on 4th and 1 or 2.
Miller, who ran for 1099 yards and eight touchdowns last season, showed his breakaway speed --- something the Dolphins would love to see more of --- with his 97-yard touchdown run against the Jets in the season finale, and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said last year that Miller improved in every area the coaching staff asked of him, including breaking tackles.
Consider that last season, Miller caused defenders to miss 32 tackles, which was 13th in the league among 57 qualifying running backs despite having fewer carries than half of the players in the top 12.
ESPN’s KC Joyner, who meticulously breaks down film, said Miller averaged 8.8 yards per carry last season when he gets good blocking. “The top backs average 9 or 10,” Joyner said.
Miller’s 4.6 career rushing average (in 444 carries) is excellent. Among active running backs with at least 750 carries, only Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, DeMarco Murray and DeAngelo Williams are higher.
The Dolphins value Miller. But this is also a league when some teams prefer not to pay big money for running backs.
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