Dante 'Turbo' Miller continues to impress at running back and on special teams in his quest to earn a roster spot with the NY Giants.
EAST RUTHERFORD - The nickname is earned. Dante "Turbo" Miller is fast. Very fast.
But in order to prove he deserves a roster spot with the New York Giants, the running back who ran a blistering 4.27 in the 40-yard dash at South Carolina Pro Day 17 months ago had to prove that elite speed does not define his entire game.
"The biggest thing in this league is, you can't just be fast," Miller told NorthJersey.com and The Record last summer. "You have to be a physical player. You have to know what to do. Obviously, the playbooks in the NFL are a lot different than they are in college. So you have to put in the time to get in the position to make those plays. It doesn't matter how fast you are - you can be the fastest person in the world - but if you don't know what to do on the play, it doesn't really matter."
Miller's speed is undeniable, of course, but he has spent the past month convincing the Giants that he's more than just a cool nickname, even one that perfectly describes his greatest asset.
“If you’re going out there, if you’re handling your business, if you’re staying healthy, if you’re doing your job, I feel like things develop and happen over time,” Miller said. “There’s a reason that I was on practice squad last year. I had to get a better understanding of the playbook. I had to get better at my position. I had to develop. So that’s what I did. I delved into what I had to do, and I’ve been taking my time to handle the business.”
Miller's feel for the position has improved. He's a much smoother catcher of the football, letting his sudden quickness become a central part of the Giants' screen game in two preseason games.
His 11 first downs in the preseason is tied for the most in the league.
"He was born with that burst, you can't really coach that," Giants running backs coach Ladell Betts said of Miller, 26. "If you do have that kind of speed, now it's about how you use it. You've got to make sure you still have some patience in the run game, you're still setting up your blocks. You can't just go out there and run fast on every single play."
The lack of game experience in Miller's time at South Carolina provided him an opportunity to remind everyone what kind of a running back he can be as a rookie. He played sparingly after transferring from Columbia - yes, the Ivy League - and was ultimately ruled ineligible in his final season due to an eligibility glitch going back to the NCAA rules for COVID transfers.
The Giants did not have to wait until after the 2024 NFL Draft to sign Miller, and he was a part of their plans as he worked on offense and special teams as a potential kick returner.
Miller displayed talent, but was still very raw, so he spent most of last season on the Giants' practice squad. He was elevated for two games and was active on game day, but had just one snap on offense and seven on special teams, recording one tackle in kick coverage.
"The explosiveness and speed were always there, but the route running, the hands, the hand-eye coordination, the run after catch, that's all things that have been a work in progress," Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown said. "So, hats off to our college guys in identifying him and our pro guys standing on the table to develop him on the practice squad."
Miller is confident in his role with the Giants, and he has given himself a great chance to make the initial 53-man roster, which will be finalized next Tuesday by the league's 4 p.m. deadline. One of the reasons he believes he has a better shot than last year is his maturation as a running back within a backfield led by Tyrone Tracy Jr. with Devin Singletary and rookie Cam Skattebo that should be productive.
His resume also includes his role on special teams, especially on the coverage teams as a gunner. He has gone to work on learning the three stages in punt coverage that rely on his release at the line of scrimmage, the tracking of the ball while running full speed down the field and then the play-entry phase, which requires Miller to tap into his safety-playing days in high school when it comes to tackling.
“Turbo lives up to his nickname, real speed,” special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said Monday. “The one thing that you see in practice, as well, is he has really good practice demeanor, so you see the very intentional and deliberate practice habits show up in the game. You see his ability to run by a vice, and he’s a very willing and physical tackler when those opportunities present [themselves].”
Miller will likely get one more chance to show the NFL what he can do in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Then he'll play the waiting game. Last year, he was a long shot and wound up re-signing with the practice squad after being waived and going unclaimed.
The man they call Turbo is on the fast track to making the team a year later.
"This is where I want to be, I'm a Giant," Miller said. "I think with what I've shown [in the preseason], I've proven I belong in the league. I hope that's here,
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Dante Miller: ‘Turbo’ proving to Giants he’s more than a cool nickname
Category: Football
