Braxton Miller's role with the Houston Texans appears somewhat amorphous heading into his rookie campaign.
The team's plans for "multidimensional" duty means he could play in the slot, on the outside or even see time in the backfield on gadget plays. The quarterback-turned-receiver is getting comfortable playing anywhere in Bill O'Brien's offense.
When asked on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday to define his role as a rookie, Miller had a simple response: "Playmaker."
"Just a playmaker. I'll play slot, outside, inside, play running back. Just whatever is in the game plan. I'm capable of playing any position," he said.
Miller's acclimatization to the pro game will be a key to watch during training camp and preseason. The former quarterback possesses the speed and quick-cut ability to be a menace alongside DeAndre Hopkins and fellow speedy rookie Will Fuller.
Moving from quarterback to receiver isn't unprecedented, especially for a player owning Miller's athleticism. One of the toughest parts of the transition is getting off press coverage when playing outside receiver. It's a technique Miller believes he's picking up on.
"I've adapted pretty well. ... I've adjusted pretty well," he said. "Right now, I'm just out there just having fun with it. I'm still learning the techniques and everything, but still just being a playmaker, being myself."
Miller added that his time at quarterback -- where he won two Big Ten MVP awards -- aided his transition to receiver.
"When you are playing the receiver position, you got to understand all the routes around you," he said. "They all have something to do with each other ... so if one is 10 yards, one got to be 5 yards, so just knowing all the technique, all the concepts, you got to sit on your area on the route, I understand why. Playing quarterback helped me transition to receiver."
Last season the Texans' passing offense essentially boiled down to heaves to Hopkins and smoke-and-mirrors gadget plays. With Brock Osweiler under center and an improved receiving corps, Houston plans to have a more traditional pass attack in 2016. But when O'Brien needs to pull out those smoke-and-mirror plays again, expect Miller to be heavily involved in them.
