Kendre Miller's first two seasons in the NFL have been anything but smooth sailing.
The former TCU standout and third-round pick entered the league rehabbing from a knee injury that lingered and caused him to miss multiple games. He suffered an ankle injury midway through the season that cost several more weeks. On the first day of training camp in Year 2 he suffered a hamstring injury that put him on the shelf for months.
It was a significant injury and rehab was difficult. It was clear that head coach Dennis Allen was displeased with the young player, calling him out in the media multiple times for not being on the field. Miller returned in Week 7 and flashed, as he's been known to do, prior to another hamstring injury to the opposite leg during a week 8 loss to the Chargers. That's when things went sideways.
The injury wasn't significant. Miller said he was running full speed prior to Week 9 against the Panthers and could've played if necessary, but the decision was made to give the young RB a down week before a return against the Falcons in Week 10. Everyone was on the same page, or so he thought. A few days later he got a call informing him that he'd be going on injured reserve for the second time in the season. It'd be another four games on the shelf for a player that felt healthy enough to play.
"It took me by surprise," Miller said this week after making his return to practice. "I was just like, wow, like, that’s a little harsh because everybody was on the same page in the building and it kind of threw me a curveball a little bit.”
Miller put his head back down and went to work, sitting out his four games. The first game of that span was Week 9, a trip to Charlotte that ended with a demoralizing loss to the Panthers and Allen's firing the next day. Darren Rizzi took over as the interim and immediately began sitting down for frank, 1-on-1 conversations with the entire team.
What was made clear in his conversation with Miller? Regardless of what might have been the case previously, the young RB is not in Rizzi's dog house.
"I tried to give everybody a clean slate," Rizzi said. "So I don’t have a doghouse, my doghouse is empty at the moment. I don’t have a dog at home, nor at work ... because I don’t have enough time to take care of one."
The message landed with Miller, who says he's rededicated himself the process during him time on the pine. His latest return will come in Week 14 against the Giants and following a season-ending injury to Taysom Hill. The Saints need another punch in the run game more than ever next to Alvin Kamara, and with a season teetering on lost they need to find out whether Miller can be a piece for the future.
"[Rizzi]he was like, everything in the past that happened, all that ends now, whatever grudge anybody had in the building with you or for whatever reason, that ends now," Miller said. "I want you here, you’re gonna be here. He talked to y’all and he was like, about the doghouse thing ... and I was like, sh**, we letting the dog off the leash now. I’m ready to do my thing. I’m ready to bark a little bit.”
The Saints (4-8) travel to face the Giants (2-10) in Week 14. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
