BY NICK ST. DENIS
Lamar Miller entered the season as the Miami Dolphins' pseudo starting running back. He was the No. 1, but the team insisted on keeping Daniel Thomas in a 1b role.
Sunday, Thomas sustained an injury to his left ankle in the Dolphins' loss to the Carolina Panthers and has reportedly been lost for the season. We'll know more Wednesday, as the team hasn't made Thomas' status official.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, however, pretty much said it all Monday.
"With Daniel Thomas out of the picture certainly (Mike) Gillislee has to step up, (Marcus) Thigpen has to step up and certainly (Lamar) Miller as well," Sherman said, via The Palm Beach Post.
Sherman said Miller's name last, though Miller is the one who will need to step up the most, as his workload is likely to increase substantially.
Through 11 games, Miller was tasked with 114 carries to Thomas' 77. Gillislee has yet to be handed the ball, though that will change this coming weekend, according to Sherman. Thigpen has just two rushes to his name this year.
According to Pro Football Focus, Miller has been in on well over twice the amount of passing downs as Thomas, so he'll continue to be a cog in the team's air attack but to an even larger extent. He's tallied 21 receptions and has been in on close to 100 pass-blocking situations.
Miller is averaging 4.2 yards a carry, while Thomas gained 3.6 yards a clip.
Follow Nick @NickStDenis
Follow AFC East Daily @AFCEastDaily
