Lonyae Miller has been turning some heads in camp. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Tashard is a decent running back, but he’s not special.  He has nice vision, can break some tackles, and is serviceable in pass protection.  However, he’s an awful special teams player, providing the Cowboys with absolutely nothing in that department.  If he were their featured back, that wouldn’t be a problem.  But, Choice is a role player and the fact that he can’t do anything besides be a second string tailback causes a bit of a vacuum on the Cowboys’ roster.

Right now, Choice is on the sidelines with a calf strain and DeMarco Murray is out with a hamstring issue.  In step Lonyae Miller.  If Miller’s name sounds vaguely familiar that’s because he played in five games last year, all on special teams.  You may also remember when he recovered a Bryan McCann fumble against the Colts.  So far in training camp, Miller has made quite an impression.  He’s a big, powerful running back with respectable speed and he runs hard.

Miller is an intriguing player.  The Cowboys signed him in 2010 as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State.  He saw very little playing time at Fresno as he was behind Ryan Matthews.   But, the Cowboys might have found a diamond in the rough.  He battled his way onto the practice squad last year and eventually ended up on the active roster, making plays on special teams.  To keep him around like that, the Cowboys must have seen something in Miller.  (more…)