The Philadelphia Eagles have seen several former players struggle to land a job in free agency, but some are worse than others. And former Eagles running back Miles Sanders is at the top of the list.
Sanders left the city of Brotherly Love in 2023, but his offseason this year continues to show how he's viewed around the league. As we end March, the former Penn State product remains a free agent, with no rumors of him getting a new gig thus far this offseason.
Miles Sanders Has Hit Rock Bottom Following Eagles Exit
Last season, Sanders spent time with the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal, but was limited to four games. He landed on IR after dealing with knee and ankle injuries. But even before the injury, he was the backup to Javonte Williams.
Prior to landing in Dallas, he was with the Carolina Panthers but had his fair share of problems there as well, failing to have a productive season after signing a massive four-year, $25 million deal in free agency. Nonetheless, the last three seasons for Sanders have been very underwhelming.
Season | Carries | Rushing Yards | Receiving Yards | Total Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 129 | 432 | 154 | 1 |
2024 | 55 | 205 | 148 | 3 |
2025 | 20 | 117 | 30 | 1 |
While he dealt with injuries last season, he wasn't going to have much of a role in Dallas' backfield anyway, considering that the Cowboys drafted two RBs (Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah), too. Ever since leaving Philadelphia, Sanders hasn't had the same juice, and when given the chance to be the focal point in the backfield like in Carolina, he wasn't able to take advantage of it.
During his time with the Birds, Sanders found success. In 57 games (49 starts), he had 3,708 rushing yards, 942 receiving yards, and 23 total touchdowns. He also had over 800 yards in all four seasons, including a career-high 1,269 rushing yards in 2022. Now fast forward three years, and it looks like those best days are behind him.
With the first two waves of free agency in the rearview mirror, teams have turned their attention to the NFL draft. And as we've seen in most recent drafts, you can find a capable tailback on all three days. That doesn't work out in Sanders' favor, as he wrestles to find a new job. It also doesn't help him that there are several veteran running backs on the market.
Names like Joe Mixon, Najee Harris, Nick Chubb, Raheem Mostert, and Kareem Hunt are still available and have had more recent success than Sanders. There's no telling where he'll land, but there's a good chance he'll have to wait after the draft or when training camp starts to get an opportunity.
Sanders hasn't been a good player since leaving the Eagles, but this offseason, his stock has hit a new low. No team seems eager to sign him, and his play over the last few seasons has played a role in that, unfortunately.