Matt Nagy says RB Lamar Miller is ‘getting close’ to his Bears debut

Cordarrelle Patterson is one of the NFL’s most explosive players, particularly when returning kickoffs. And while many respected the Chicago Bears’ desire to get Patterson more on offense, Patterson’s stint as the No. 2 running back just hasn’t panned out.

One of the biggest concerns heading into this season was depth at running back behind starter David Montgomery. When Tarik Cohen went down with a torn ACL, the Bears’ worst fears were realized. Aside from Montgomery, there wasn’t a proven running back on the roster.

For all of the talk about confidence about the running backs currently on the roster, including relatively inexperienced youngsters Ryan Nall and undrafted rookie Artavis Pierce, they’ve leaned more on Patterson in the run game as the No. 2 back.

The Bears signed former Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller to the practice squad in early October, where the goal was always to get him back in game shape and promote him to the active roster. And from the sound of things, it sounds like we’re getting close to Miller’s debut with the Bears.

“I think he’s looking better and better each day,” Bears coach Matt Nagy told reporters Wednesday. “I do think he’s getting close.”

The Bears problems with the run game aren’t going to be fixed simply by bringing in a new running back. Chicago’s run blocking has been atrocious, and Montgomery is running at a wall almost every time.

Miller is coming off a torn ACL sustained last preseason. But before his injury, Miller served as the lead running back for the Texans, where he totaled 2,934 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns. What Miller also brings to the table is his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, something the Bears lost with Cohen’s injury. Miller had 92 receptions for 678 yards and five touchdowns during his time in Houston.

Getting Miller involved on offense should be a priority for this team at this point. He’s not going to magically fix everything with the offensive line and play-calling, but having a reliable back-up for Montgomery — especially one that is versatile in the pass game — would go a long way for the Bears.

We’ll see if Miller possibly makes his Bears debut against the Saints on Sunday, where he’d face a New Orleans run defense allowing 89.7 rushing yards per game, the fourth fewest in the league.