Houston Texans: Why Lamar Miller wants Adrian Peterson on the team

The Houston Texans are well underway into the off season and they’re at the height of participating in organized team activities (OTAs). There are still many questions in regard to how the roster will be shaped but running back Lamar Miller wants to join forces with Adrian Peterson. What’s going on? Let’s look.

The Houston Texans are certainly working toward putting together an impressive turnaround from last season that saw a record 74 players used in one season. This team was signing short-term contracts with guys off the street as if they were candy and it was only to get through that eventually 4-12 season with their hides.

I’m certainly hoping that we don’t have a season like that for quite some time as I feel the good times are about to roll with Deshaun Watson at the helm. In just seven games, we got a taste of what it was like to have a dominant/competent quarterback calling the signals. Had he stayed healthy, there’s no question we would’ve made the playoffs and all of that talk about the Tennessee Titans’ successful season would’ve been an afterthought.

But there’s plenty of time to improve off what this team experienced last season as they’ve made preparations by firing the old guard of trainers, brought in new faces with fresh perspectives along with state-of-the-art equipment to go in their training rooms. This season is themed around health as this franchise does not want such a notion to cripple them once again.

But what’s the latest in the free agency market? For all intents and purposes, the Houston Texans are likely done signing the big names. But there’s one name still available that won’t be costly and Lamar Miller wants him on the team.

Need more analysis on a potential signing of Adrian Peterson? Take a listen at Locked on Texans along with my Co-Host Robert Land on the latest:

Yes, I’m talking about future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson. Nearly three months after free agency has started, the dynamic, hustling and finesse RB has yet to find a home. Just a few months ago, he expressed interest in joining the Houston Texans but nothing has happened since then.

Miller recently went public with his affinity for Peterson to join forces with the team and he didn’t pull any punches.

Here’s what Miller said:

"“I used to look up to Adrian Peterson growing up,” Miller told Patrick Claybon on Thursday’s edition of NFL Up to the Minute. “He’s a great running back. He’s been a great running back in this league for years. It would be good to have him join us, just his leadership, seeing the things he’s done in previous years, I feel like I could learn from him. It would help us out as a team.”"

That’s a bold statement considering the Texans technically have four running backs under contract. Aside from Miller, D’Onta Foreman, Alfred Blue and Tyler Ervin are all on the Houston Texans roster currently.

Foreman will be going into his second season while Ervin will be going into his third after his

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previous two being marred by injury and Blue was recently re-signed to a one-year, $880,000 deal with $90K guaranteed.

Considering the Houston Texans have made just a modest investment in Blue and that we haven’t seen enough out of Ervin just yet, if Peterson were to be signed, Blue would be the odd man out.

To be honest, I’d rather have A.P. here as the third running back and with Foreman’s health being up in the air to start the season, I think he’s got a lot fuel in the tank to give us fans a hell of show to watch each and every game.

None of our backs eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark during last season and Peterson rushed over 130 yards twice when he was with the Arizona Cardinals to finish out 2017.

Blue does have value in this league and if they cut him, they’ll risk another team picking him up rather quickly. But running backs come a dime a dozen and certainly you hope there’s a backup plan if Peterson were to get hurt. That backup plan should be Ervin but it really depends on how his health pans out.

But all in all, I think he’s worth the risk and I’d proudly wear a No. 28 Houston Texans jersey as a homage to one of the greatest to carry that pigskin across the turf. We’ll have to see but I think there’s a chance that we sign him.

Next: An early projected look at the 2018 offensive depth chart

Peterson, 32, rushed for 529 yards off 156 carries — 3.4 yards per attempt — and two touchdowns in 10 games — seven starts — between the New Orleans Saints and the Cardinals in 2017.

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