The ground game for the Texans will look different in 2017.
In his first season with Houston, Lamar Miller cracked the 1,000-yard mark, and he did so in just 14 games. But the team added 2016 Doak Walker winner D'Onta Foreman in the third round, and the rookie is expected to bring some thunder to the running attack.
"I think it will help me out a lot, just keep me fresh throughout the whole season," Miller said of Foreman. "Once I get the opportunity, I got to make plays when my number is called."
In the three seasons prior to joining the Texans, Miller averaged 196 carries per year. Last season, he ran the ball 268 times. Foreman is expected to get a chance to run the ball inside, which is something that impressed Bill O'Brien during the evaluation process leading up to the Draft.
"He was an inside runner," O'Brien said of Foreman in late April. "He was a very productive inside runner that broke a lot of tackles for Texas this year. He was a productive first- and second-down, tackle-to-tackle runner and that was impressive to me."
Foreman, who picked up 2,028 yards last season for the Longhorns, is competing at training camp in West Virginia with the likes of Alfred Blue, Akeem Hunt, Tyler Ervin and Dare Ogunbowale. He emphasized his commitment to learning the offense. Foreman also understands that he'll often be called upon for tough yards.
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"Just learn as much as I can from the guys in my room and continue just to be physical on the field and do what they ask me to do, whatever they ask me to do, just go out there and give it 110 percent," Foreman said.
Miller said that no matter who gets the carries, a cornerstone of the Texans offense will be the run game.
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"Coach O'Brien, he does a great job emphasizing that we're a physical team," Miller said. "Us as running backs, we take pride in that and we just try to help the quarterback be in manageable third-downs. We just try to keep the chains moving, so we take pride in that."
Miller, Foreman and the Texans will practice on Sunday at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
Check out some of the best shots from Day 4 of training camp practice at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
