Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Philbin gauging what LaMichael James has to offer

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno will reportedly miss at least another month to an elbow injury, so the team is continuing to explore its options at the position.

Two weeks after re-signing former Dolphins draftee Daniel Thomas, Miami has brought in former second round pick of the San Francisco 49ers LaMichael James to get some work in on the practice squad.

"He’s got a lot of skill. He’s a talented guy," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. "He’s got good ball skills, he’s got speed. We just got him out there today. We’ll have a chance to work with him a little bit and see what comes of it."

James saw his first NFL snaps as a rookie against the Dolphins Week 14 of the 2012 season. He spent an uneventful two seasons in the Bay Area before requesting and being granted his release earlier this month.

The Oregon product led college football in rushing and rushing touchdowns in 2010 and is looking for a second chance of sorts, starting in Miami amongst a somewhat in-flux tailback corps missing probably its best player.

More importantly, he has ample experience as a returner and could help the Dolphins in that regard--which could be his ticket to earning snaps on offense.

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