Lombardi Ave
FanSided

Green Bay Packers: Ten players to target in free agency

By Kenn Korb

Nov 8, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 11
Next
Jan 3, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) in the first half against the New England Patriots at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Innerarity-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) in the first half against the New England Patriots at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Innerarity-USA TODAY Sports /

Lamar Miller

We all know that Eddie Lacy had a rough year. We also know that James Starks had an issue with fumbles and is set to become a free agent. With that in mind, this is a perfect time to try and solidify the running back position, and a player like Miller would be the perfect player to go after to do so.

Miller has been a vastly underrated player throughout his career, and despite consistently showing that he is capable of high-level production he somehow always gets under-utilized no matter who his coach has been.

Miller was the fourth-highest rated runner in the league in 2015 (85.6 overall rating by PFF) but still only received 647 snaps. Considering how bad the passing game tended to be for the Dolphins and that his backups were mostly a combination of injured (Jay Ajayi) and ineffective (Damien Williams), it is a travesty he wasn’t put to work more often.

He added strong value in all facets asked of him (83.3 rushing, 73.1 receiving, and 82.8 pass blocking in terms of PFF ratings). A good thing for Green Bay here is that running back is a position that has become decently cheap outside of the highest top-end players. Adding in how Miller has been undervalued in his career should only help in those matters.

In the perfect scenario involving him, we would see Lacy become the runner from the second-half of each of his first two seasons and have him split time with the highly-effective Miller. In the event that Lacy is unable to find that ability again despite the fire McCarthy and Co are trying to put under him, Miller could act as a strong insurance policy and #1 option while being a key piece on a resurgent offense for the Packers.

The value is high, the cost should be affordable, and Green Bay should give this heavy consideration.

Secondary Option: Matt Forte

Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) runs off the field after the NFL game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. The Lions won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) runs off the field after the NFL game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. The Lions won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

Forte isn’t quite the high-level option that Miller is, but he brings a great veteran presence and production.

His ability as one of the best pass-catching backs in recent years would be an excellent addition to an offense that could use more reliability and definitely struggled with getting open downfield with consistency in 2015.

He would also likely be cheaper, which always factors in with free agency decisions.

Next: Another runner

Home/Green Bay Packers Free Agency