Pass protection is not necessarily job one for a running back. After all, it implies in the position name that carrying the football is the first duty.
However, running back Lamar Miller takes pride in his pass protection for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“That’s something that I take pride in, protecting Deshaun,” Miller told reporters Sunday at Methodist Training Center. “He’s a guy that can help us win football games.”
Coach Bill O’Brien acknowledges that Miller is the best pass protector among the running back stable.
“Lamar’s really the best pass protector,” O’Brien said. “He does a really good job understanding the blitzes and the techniques that he needs to use to block blitzers.”
The Texans would like to utilize Miller more in the passing game as a receiver. The 28-year-old caught 25 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown last season, his lone Pro Bowl campaign.
“I want the ball, but at the same time I got to protect the quarterback, so I take a lot of pride in that,” Miller said.
While the onus is on the offensive line, and to a degree Watson himself, for the Texans giving up 62 quarterback sacks in 2018, the most in the NFL, having Miller up his game as a pass protector can only help Houston improve.
