Kendre Miller was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were hoping that he’d be a main contributor offensively, and eventually be the starter at the position when Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams step away. That potential hasn’t even been shown a little bit, not because he hasn’t performed well, but because he hasn’t been able to perform at all.
Kendre Miller Missed Significant Portions Of Rookie Campaign
Shortly after being drafted, Miller spent the majority of his rookie training camp injured and out of action. It led to a significant number of reps being given to other backs and left the coaching staff with questions as to what his potential could be at the NFL level. He barely appeared in the preseason and then entered the regular season on the official 53-man roster behind Wiliams and Kamara. Throughout the entire season, Miller played just eight games, missing the rest with injuries. In those eight games, he played over 10 snaps in just three of them. He simply wasn’t available, and the team didn’t see enough to give him more action at pivotal points in the game.
Now, looking at his numbers, he did show what he could do. He had 41 rushes for 156 yards and a touchdown while adding on 10 receptions for another 117 yards through the air. Although, the stats are a little skewed considering that he had 73 rushing yards in just one game during the regular season finale against the Atlanta Falcons when the team was already eliminated from the playoffs.
The Situation Got Worse
Coming into this offseason, the hope was that he could make up for his missed time and secure himself a solid role. That didn’t happen for the second straight year. He missed almost all of training camp, then missed the entire preseason. To make matters even worse, the team announced that he will be starting the year on injured reserve, not even going to be available until at least the fourth week of the regular season. Fans have been clamoring for the team to hold onto players like Jacob Kibodi, Jordan Mims, and James Robinson just because there isn’t much reliability with Miller if either Williams or Kamara goes down.
The frustration with Miller isn’t just from the fans though, as the coaching staff can’t help but show their disappointment with their third-round pick. When asked about Miller, head coach Dennis Allen said, “That’s a player who needs to figure out how to stay healthy because you can’t make the team in the training room”. It was a rather strong statement from a coach that usually doesn’t make those types of comments. However, it goes to showcase how much frustration has surrounded Miller, with everybody knowing how high his ceiling can be, we just can’t see him on the football field. Here’s hoping that he can be ready by Week 5 of the regular season and make a statement.