NFL Rumors: Houston Texans Could Target Jay Ajayi After Lamar Miller’s Season-Ending Injury

The Houston Texans may be quickly moving on to Plan B after losing starting running back Lamar Miller to a season-ending ACL tear.

Miller went down after a hard hit in the team’s third preseason game, tearing both his ACL and MCL in an injury that ends his season before it even began and blows a giant hole in the team’s backfield. The team now turns to a platoon of Buddy Howell, Karan Higdon, Damarea Crockett, and Josh Ferguson along with the still-injured Duke Johnson Jr. — a backfield that the Fansided blog House of Houston said is less than impressive.

Instead of elevating one of those unproven backs into the starting role for a team hoping to win the AFC South for the fourth time in the last five years, the report suggested giving former Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi a shot. Ajayi is coming off an ACL tear of his own, which ended his season after just five games last season, but seems to be ready to play now and would be one of the top free agents available.

“Teams have stayed away from him because I’m sure they’re concerned if he’s fully healed and they have better options with the resources they have,” the report noted. “But for the Houston Texans, options are limited as Miller suffered this injury two weeks before the season is to start and the better options have signed with other teams this past Spring.”

The Houston Texans haven’t given an indication of what they might plan to do in Miller’s absence, but they would likely have a few different options if they should choose to bring in a replacement. As The Big Lead noted, there could be a few options through trade or free agency, noting that Jay Ajayi could be their best bet.

“Ajayi is still just 26 and his knee has been medically cleared for a month. He was waiting for an opportunity like this,” the report noted. “He could be a great addition to Houston’s running back stable and could pair well with Duke Johnson.”

Texans believe RB Lamar Miller suffered torn ACL. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/UI9135zFOq

— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2019

Other options include trying to land Melvin Gordon from the Los Angeles Chargers in a trade, or waiting to sign a veteran running back that doesn’t make it through the final cuts coming next week. The Texans could also choose to wait on Duke Williams to return from his injury and elevate him into the starting role.