Miles Sanders remains a name to keep an eye on at running back.
It has been an interesting offseason for the Dallas Cowboys at the running back position. For a while it was thought that Rico Dowdle would return after impressing at the end of the 2024 season. It was a bit surprising that the Cowboys first splash in free agency was signing JaVonte Williams. Later in free agency, the Cowboys also added Miles Sanders to the running back room. After those moves, it felt like Dallas would be adding a running back in the top 100 to carry the workload with Williams injury history and production decline, as well as Sanders inability to hold onto the starting role in Carolina behind Chuba Hubbard.
The Cowboys did not press the issue in the 2025 NFL draft and waited until the fifth round to add a running back. While Texas’ Jaydon Blue adds an element to the game the Cowboys running back room currently lacks (speed), it is a stretch to assume Blue will be able to handle a heavy workload in the NFL given his size and inexperience doing so at the college level. When projecting out the Cowboys running back depth chart, Sanders has seemingly fell under the radar.
Sanders is just a few years off of a 1,200 yard rushing season averaging 4.9 yards per carry in Philadelphia, something Williams has yet to do in his short four-year career. This isn’t making the case that Miles Sanders is some dynamic back, but he should be getting a little more respect than he is currently getting in the thin, inexperienced running back room in Dallas. Sanders is not far away from putting up impressive numbers, and his time in Carolina should not totally discredit his ability due to the many struggles the Panthers offense has had over the last few years.
Sanders may not be the answer in Dallas. As of now, he may even be a long shot to make the final roster, but he is the only running back currently on the roster who has carried and shown success as an every down back in the NFL. For what the Cowboys currently have and need at the position, that should carry some weight when it comes to final roster cutdowns.
