The New Orleans Saints came out of the gates swinging, dropping 91 points in the first two weeks en route to a 2-0 start. Since then, it’s gone downhill, with injuries and irregular play effectively ending New Orleans’ season before Week 16.
One major hurdle that the Saints could not overcome was the loss of running back Alvin Kamara, who was in the midst of a minor career renaissance. But in his absence, New Orleans has found a silver lining in the form of backup Kendre Miller. As a relatively unknown quantity, we have covered everything you should know about the second-year RB.
Kendre Miller’s College Career and Stats
Born in Mount Enterprise, Texas, Miller attended Mount Enterprise High School, where he carved out a name for himself during his senior year, rushing for over 2,500 yards and adding 34 touchdowns.
Following that spectacular season, Miller committed to TCU, where he stayed for three years.
During his first two years at Texas Christian University, Miller was the backup RB for the Horned Frogs, but he made plays for them ever since stepping foot on the field as a freshman.
In Year 1, Miller had 388 rushing yards while adding two touchdowns to his résumé. As a sophomore, he totaled 623 rushing yards and more than tripled his touchdowns from the previous year with seven.
Finally, in 2022 as a junior, Miller got the starting responsibility and immediately took off. Nearly reaching 1,400 yards (1,399), Miller ran for 17 scores at 6.2 yards per carry, earning a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Saints Draft Miller in 2023
At 5’11” and 215 pounds, Miller was the perfect combination of size and strength for the running back position. While he wasn’t the bulldozer many expect RBs to be, Miller’s balance at the line of scrimmage and in the secondary was impressive.
What stood out most was Miller’s speed, which allowed him to rack up four different games with 50+ yard scores as a junior at TCU.
Going into the draft, Miller’s two biggest drawbacks were his extreme patience and posture. A hesitant runner, he would often wait for a second extra, limiting his own explosiveness. On the other hand, the stiffness held him back from making tight turns and going low on his runs.
As a potential star, Miller had all the necessary physical attributes. Several accounts believed Miller would go around Round 5 in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Saints, however, weren’t taking that chance, deciding to take him in the third round at No. 71 overall.
Miller’s Spot on Saints’ RB Depth Chart
Coming into the league, Miller wasn’t slated to be a major part of plans for New Orleans, at least not in the immediate future. He began the year as the third running back on the team behind Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.
As a result, Miller’s playing time was limited to just eight games on the year and totaling 156 rushing yards.
At the tail end of the year, in Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons, Miller scored his first NFL touchdown, a short three-yard burst into the end zone.
Unfortunately, Miller’s second year began on injured reserve. However, he was impressive enough in training camp and the preseason to jump Williams as the Saints’ RB2.
In his initial return from injury, Miller played just two games (Weeks 7 and 8), totaling just 52 rushing yards. He’s been much more consistent, however, over the last two weeks — after a second stint on IR — clearing 30 yards each time and getting his first touchdown of the season in Week 13.
Perhaps most impressive for Miller has been his yards-per-carry average, which stands at 4.6 (compared to last year’s mark of 3.8).