According to JP Finlay, the Washington Football Team has signed running back Lamar Miller off the Chicago Bears practice squad. Washington is without their standout rookie Antonio Gibson, who missed last week’s win against the San Francisco 49ers with a turf toe injury. Without Miller, Washington had three active running backs (including one practice squad call-up): J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, and undrafted rookie Javon Leake. McKissic is more of a pass-catching back, but he ran the ball well this past week with 11 rushes for 68 yards. Barber is a short-yardage back, as he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry last week. While Miller may not be active this week due to Covid-19 protocols and the need to learn the playbook, he could find himself getting significant carries if Gibson’s injury were to linger.
Source tells me Washington Football has signed Lamar Miller off the Bears practice squad. That means he will be active this week.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) December 16, 2020
The Washington Football Team Signs Lamar Miller off of Bears Practice Squad
Missing the 2019 season with a torn ACL, Miller has appeared in two games for the Bears this season, catching two passes for six yards. This is Miller’s eighth-year in the league, previously playing for the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins. In 2018, Miller was a pro bowler with 1136 total yards on 4.6 yards per carry. From 2014 to 2018, Miller had at least 1000 yards from scrimmage each season. With Gibson out with a turf toe, despite progress in practice, Miller gives Washington a viable every-down running back as McKissic can revert to his pass-catching role and Barber to his short-yardage role. However, this could also be insurance as Barber was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury.
Washington's Wednesday practice report:
DNP: RB Antonio Gibson (toe), QB Alex Smith (calf),
LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (ankle)
LB Thomas Davis (non-injury related)RB Peyton Barber (ankle) and DT Jonathan Allen (groin) were limited participants.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 16, 2020
Miller could provide a short-term spark for Washington’s offense, whose run blocking has been excellent during their four-game winning streak. Since a player must have six negative coronavirus tests 24 hours apart, Miller will not play this week, which could be trouble for Gibson’s status against the Carolina Panthers.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
