Miles Sanders had massive shoes to fill at Penn State once Saquon Barkley left for the NFL and the Western PA product took over the lion’s share of the carries in Happy Valley. Yet, Sanders did well enough as the starting running back in 2018, rushing for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns, that he became a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Now, after six years in the NFL, four with Philly and the last two with the Carolina Panthers, Sanders is heading into free agency for the second time. On Tuesday, the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, Sanders was released by the Panthers.
Two offseasons ago as a free agent, Sanders inked a 4-year $25 million contract with Carolina that included $13 million guaranteed. However, the former Nittany Lions struggled on one of the worst teams in the NFL, rushing for 432 yards across 16 games in 2023 and then racking up just 205 yards on 55 carries across 11 games last year. At his best, Sanders rushed for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022, his final year with the Eagles.
After averaging under four yards per carry across the last two seasons, Sanders could struggle to find a home in a flooded running back market. Barkley, his former teammate at Penn State, just became the highest-paid running back in NFL history this offseason, but with a loaded running back draft class, teams will likely favor a mid-round draft pick over a mid-tier veteran.
Three notable running backs have landed deals through the first two days of free agency. Aaron Jones is heading back to Minnesota on a two-year $20 million deal, Najee Harris is leaving Pittsburgh for Los Angeles after securing a one-year $9.5 million contract with the Chargers, and the oft-injured Javonte Williams got paid $3 million over one year by the Dallas Cowboys.
A running back needy team could look to revive Sanders’ career, but with so many younger and cheaper options, this could be it for the former Penn State star.