Fifty-seven carries, 159 yards and two touchdowns: that is the running résumé Kendre Miller brings to Dallas, and the most important number in it is 2.8 yards per attempt.
The Cowboys completed Miller’s practice-squad signing Wednesday after the Saints waived him four days earlier. He is not on Dallas’ 53-man roster, and the club has not announced an elevation for Sunday’s meeting with San Francisco. This is an examination, not an instant solution.
Dallas should begin by asking what Miller’s recent carries actually produced rather than allowing his arrival to become a referendum on his draft status, his college reputation or one inviting preseason afternoon.
Miller played in six games for New Orleans this season, adding nine catches for 37 yards to that rushing line. Two touchdowns are useful production. They are also just two plays within a much larger evaluation.
Dallas should examine the full set of carries before deciding whether he offers dependable support for Javonte Williams. The average is a reason for scrutiny; without the blocking and game circumstances behind each attempt, it is not enough to assign Miller all the blame.
That assessment is less glamorous than the version of Miller Dallas saw during the preseason. Against the Cowboys in the preseason, he gained 42 yards on nine attempts and caught a 15-yard pass. It was a sharp enough display to make the new signing feel familiar, especially for a team that needs another option.
It also remains a small sample against preseason conditions. Those nine rushing attempts cannot predict a rebound from a regular-season stretch covering 57 carries.
The same caution applies to Miller’s full NFL résumé. He has 656 rushing yards and five touchdowns across 27 games with New Orleans. That is enough experience to justify a closer look, but not enough production to treat him as a finished answer.
His 2024 line—148 yards on 39 carries in six appearances—offers a better season than this year’s average, though it still describes a player with a limited body of work rather than an established lead back.
Dallas has a practical reason to test him. Tyler Goodson ran 12 times for 77 yards against Indianapolis on Nov. 8, but Monday’s club update pointed toward multiple weeks away because of his knee injury. The Cowboys’ Wednesday update placed their rushing average at 103.6 yards per game, 21st in the NFL.
With Goodson unavailable for the near term, the gap behind Williams has become a roster question rather than a theoretical one.
Miller’s signing does not settle that question. The practice squad also includes Jashaun Corbin and Israel Abanikanda, and Dallas has not said which back, if any, will be elevated. Miller therefore has to make his case in a crowded room, where a recognizable name is worth less than a reliable series of carries.
