The Miami Dolphins' so-called backfield battle has failed to achieve liftoff this summer.
With Knowshon Moreno just one week into practice following arthroscopic knee surgery, Lamar Miller remains the rock-solid bet to start Week 1 against the Patriots.
Moreno, meanwhile, is still shaking off the rust and "starting to look like kind of his old self" as a ball carrier, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin told reporters, per The Miami Herald.
Philbin wouldn't confirm if Moreno would play in Saturday's preseason tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We don't anticipate him playing, and neither does NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport:
The Dolphins figure to lean on Miller for early-down work with Moreno seeing snaps on passing downs. Asked about Moreno's progress as a third-down option, though, Philbin acknowledged, "I don't know about the passing game quite yet. ... He's looking better."
After signing Moreno to a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason, Miami has received nothing in return. He's bound to make the roster, but Moreno's early-season fantasy value floats somewhere in the abyss here in mid-August.
*The latest "Around the League Podcast" broke down the biggest position battles and ranked the best backup QBs in the league. *
