Giants' Dante Miller hoping to run down a roster spot
Giants running back Dante Miller rushes up the field in a preseason game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. Credit: Errol Anderson
Dante Miller was almost surprised when a reporter greeted him by his first name. The Giants use his nickname, so he politely said it was fine to do the same.
Said Miller, “You can call me Turbo.”
It doesn’t take much to see why.
Miller’s ability to accelerate can turn short throws into big gains. That speed helped make him stand out through the Giants’ first two preseason games.
Thursday’s preseason finale against the Patriots gave Miller one last chance to clinch a roster spot when teams trim to 53 players on Tuesday. He had a team-high 41 rushing yards on 11 carries and three catches for 12 yards in the Giants’ 42-10 win.
The second-year running back had been taking advantage of more snaps with rookie Cam Skattebo out since Aug. 1. Skattebo returned to practice Tuesday, and now there’s fewer snaps to go around. The running back room is firmly established with Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary and Skattebo.
It likely means Miller and his speed will wind up on special teams. If that’s the case, he doesn’t mind. He’s running full speed to whatever role the Giants want and hopes he’s shown enough good tape.
“Wherever the coaches put me on special teams, I’ll learn my assignment,” he said. “I’ll learn what was needed and I’ll go out there and handle my job to the best of my ability. That’s the type of approach I bring to everything.”
Miller first earned his nickname in college at Columbia, where running backs coach Joe D’Orazio called him Li’l Turbo because he was 165 to 170 pounds. It carried over when he transferred to South Carolina and the “Li’l” portion faded once he bulked up to his current weight of 200 pounds.
Last season, he signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent and spent most of the year on the practice squad. This year, he’s become a more complete back, and it has allowed his speed to be used more.
Miller had four catches for third-down conversions that went for at least 10 yards in the preseason opener at Buffalo. He added three catches for third-down conversions last Saturday against the Jets, including a 12-yard gain on third-and-4.
Entering Thursday, his nine first-down catches this preseason were tied for first in the NFL with Detroit’s Jackson Meeks.
“Coach [Brian Daboll] always talks to us about knowing the situation,” Miller said. “He’ll ask us what down was it? What was the yardage? What did we need on that play? And that causes you to be more dialed in to what the situation of the game is.”
It’s the next level from not just being fast but a fast playmaker. Running backs coach Ladell Betts joked that Miller was born with speed that can’t be taught. But what can be learned is how to use it and be better setting up blocks and running with patience. Miller, Betts said, is figuring that out to be more effective.
“He’s really done everything we’ve asked of him,” Betts said. “That’s really all you can ask a kid to do. Go out there, compete, put your best foot forward, which is what he’s done.”
Miller also has a history with special teams. He played gunner at Columbia even when he was starting at running back, so he’s familiar with the position.
Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial had praise for not just how quickly Miller has picked things up but the positive results.
“He has really good practice demeanor, so you see the very intentional and deliberate practice habits show up in the game,” Ghobrial said. “You see his ability to run by a vise and he’s a very willing and physical tackler when those opportunities present itself, so excited to see Turbo whenever he gets those opportunities.”
Miller feels the same way. Thursday might have been his last time to make a play on offense for a while, but he wanted to leave one last impression to help his future.
If he gets a roster spot as a result, he’s fine being a blur in return coverage instead of racing away from defenders.
“You can’t be a selfish player in this game,” he said. “If you want to have a successful team, you need selfless players. So I feel like that’s important to me. Doing what’s needed.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
