Texans reportedly fear torn ACL for Lamar Miller after nasty hit vs. Cowboys
Lamar Miller was knocked out of the ground during an early possession of Saturday's precision game between Houston and Dallas by Cowboys defensive lineman Malik Collins. (Warning: The link above may be graphic for some readers). Luck's knee bent awkwardly in the wrong direction, and he remained on the ground while exiting the car.
Texans fear RB Lamar Miller tore his ACL, per source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2019
News about the severity of the injury took a while to come out, but according to a report by ESPN.com's Adam Shere, the Texans feared Miller might have torn his ACL. There will be an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
Miller, starting back at Texas, is an eight-year veteran who is coming off his first Pro Bowl season. In 14 regular season games in 2018, Miller ran for 973 yards and five touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Houston backup running back Duke Johnson, who was acquired through a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Johnson, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, reached a career low with 5.0 yards per carry despite carrying Brown last season. He has primarily served as a third-down and pass-catch for most of his NFL career, but he is the all-time leading crowd at the University of Miami, where both he and Miller starred during their collegiate careers.
The Texans had previously waived D'Anta Foreman, so the primary man behind Johnson would likely be Demaria Crockett, an indirect free agent who has been out of the Texas camp throughout the offseason. It is possible that the Texans could look to bring one more back in between power and over-tackle situations as a complement to Johnson, but considering the team surrendered to the third round for their services, they Possibly feels very comfortable with him and could land him as a starter for what would be his first time in his NFL career.
Texas reacts to Lamar Miller's injury
The most difficult part of an incredibly difficult night for the Texans, came from Scrimmage in the sixth game of the game.
After the Texans 'defense went 3-and-out from the Cowboys' offense, the Houston offense ended the first courtesy of a defensive penalty. The game was injured after Lamar Miller ran.
Miller, a beloved and highly-regarded teammate, hit the turf in Arlington with an apparent leg injury. The Texans would eventually fall to 34-0 for the Cowboys. But watching Miller go off the field was the worst part of the night for his teammates and their head coach.
"It was tough," said Bill O'Brien. "He's just a terrible man. He means a lot to me personally and it's just a hard thing to watch."
Player after player told how difficult it was to see Miller, a pro bowler, in 2018, go down with an injury.
Deshan Watson said, "Anyone is hurt, it's tough." "But he is one of those people who brings a lot of energy and a lot of power to this team. It's hard to see him getting on the car. I prayed for him. We'll be there for him at every step."
Defensive End J.J. Watt, who ended his 2016 and 2017 seasons early due to back and knee issues, said injuries are "the worst part of our game." He gave a perspective on who Miller is as a player and a person.
"It's very tough," Watt said. "He's an important part of our puzzle. He's a guy we all love. We love him there and we fight shoulder to shoulder with everyone. You just hate to see it. "
Wright was a fellow of Miller for a few seasons at the Tackle Sentrell Henderson University of Miami (FL). A year later, he fell in Week 1 with an ankle injury, watching his teammates go down.
"One of my friends is," Henderson said. "We care for them. We protect them. We never want to see anyone go down in a way that was hard for us."
After Miller's exit, Josh Ferguson, Damaria Crockett and Karan Higdon split Carry in a running back position for the Texas.
Houston hosted the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night at NRG Stadium.