New Saints RB Kendre Miller isn't wasting any time as he prepares to join his new team: The confidence is already flowing.
Speaking on WWL after the the former TCU standout was picked by New Orleans at No. 71, he made his ambitions clear on his new team.
"I don’t sit too well at backup," Miller said. "Even though I respect [Alvin] Kamara and everything he got for the Saints, and everything he did, but I’m coming for that No. 1.”
Listen to the full interview with Kendre Miller in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
It's a bold take for a rookie, but not an unreasonable one for the future. The 20-year-old is entering a locker room with Kamara and newly signed Jamaal Williams, both of whom are entrenched in their NFL roles but are also 27 and 28, respectively. Another bold take: He describes himself as a combination of Alvin Kamara's balance and Colts star Jonathan Taylor's speed/power.
Still, the 5-11, 215-pound back got his first taste at a featured role in college this past season, and he took full advantage to the tune of 1,399 yards and 17 TDs on 224 carries. He was a major part of TCU's run to the College Football Playoff title game in which his team was shellacked by the juggernaut Georgia Bulldogs without him after he suffered a knee injury during the semifinal win over Michigan.
That injury hampered his offseason process a bit, but he plans to be a full go by training camp. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said he expects Miller to begin his offseason programs guided by trainers as he works back to full involvement. That could mean a limited showing at the rookie minicamp in May.
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"I’ve been doing strength," he tells WWL. "I started running on Monday. I feel very confident in my knee. I haven’t had like any issues."
In reality, Miller, Williams and Kamara all share traits that will play off each other well. To some extent, as head coach Dennis Allen explained, the goal has to be taking some of the workload off of Kamara to ensure he can get to the end of the season healthy. It's how things operated in the first go-around with Mark Ingram, and it's clearly something the team would like to get back to as much s possible.
"Being a runner in this league for 17 games is a lot of pounding," Allen said, "and so if you can spread those carries out a little bit I think it keeps everybody fresh throughout the season a little bit more.”
Miller was the third pick for the Saints in the 2023 NFL draft, but the first on offense. New Orleans opted to shore up its defensive line first with Clemson DT Bryan Bresee at No. 29, followed by Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey at No. 40. It was a trio of picks that fills key positions of need for New Orleans.
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Whether a backup or not, it's likely Miller is needed for major contributions during his rookie season if Kamara lands an expected suspension stemming from an assault incident in Las Vegas. The Williams signing and the Miller pick have the Saints looking much more secure in their backup plans should that come to pass.
No. 71 is the highest draft pick spent by the Saints on a running back since taking Kamara in the third round of the 2017 draft. Since then the Saints have picked Boston Scott in the 6th round and Daniel Lasco in the 7th round.
"I think when we started this draft process there was an idea that man, we’d like to add somebody into that running back room and where that fell kind of depended on where the draft worked out," Allen said. "Obviously we had a really good grade on Kendre and for him to be there when it was time for us to pick, it was clear to us that was the pick.”
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