The Carolina Panthers had a major hole in their roster in the wake of trading star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffrey had been a major part of the Panthers offense, and had been one of the best running backs in the league during his tenure in Carolina. The front-office was going to be hard-pressed to find any back who could replicate McCaffrey’s success, so they tried a bit of a different approach.
Instead of finding a running back who was nearly just as adept out wide as he was in the backfield like McCaffrey, the Panthers chose a more traditional running back type for the “next man up” when they signed former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders. Sanders was coming off a Pro Bowl season and Carolina was in on him big, to the tune of a four-year deal worth over $25 million, with $13 million of that fully guaranteed.
That contract has proven to be a misstep. So much so that it’s led to Pro Football Network’s NFL analyst Dallas Robinson deeming it the worst contract on the team. Sanders' production hasn’t been anywhere near what it was in Philadelphia during his time with the Panthers. Sanders was coming off a 1200 yard season with the Eagles in his first year as a full-time starter, and added 11 touchdowns on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection.
Last year with the Panthers, that production dipped to the lowest in his career, with just 432 yards and one touchdown in five starts. To make matters worse, Sanders lost his starting spot to Chuba Hubbard, who was able to put up just over 900 yards and 5 touchdowns in only 12 games.
Now, after the Panthers took former Texas running back Jonathan Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Sanders will be looking at an up-hill battle to get any touches at all in the revamped Panthers offense.
