Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders picked the perfect time to have the best season of his career. Set to enter unrestricted free agency this offseason, he put together a career season, setting himself up for a solid payday.
Miles Sanders earned the first Pro Bowl nomination of his career, rushing the ball 259 times for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. His usage in the passing game has gone down considerably with Jalen Hurts under center as he caught only 20 passes for 78 yards in 2022.
However, earlier in his career, he proved to be a capable receiver out of the backfield, catching 50 passes as a rookie. That kind of versatility will certainly help his case in free agency when negotiating for as much money as possible.
The only thing working against Miles Sanders this offseason is the number of good running backs that are available. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all received the franchise tag, yet there are still some very good players available.
David Montgomery, Devin Singletary, Kareem Hunt, Jamaal Williams, D’Onta Foreman, Damien Harris and Alexander Mattison are all looking to cash in. Don’t forget the new crop of running backs in the rookie class as well.
That could limit how much money someone such as Miles Sanders could earn, but as arguably the best non-franchise tagged running back available, he should still be able to find a landing spot. One team that would make a lot of sense for him is the Miami Dolphins.
Miami currently has zero running backs under contract for the 2023 season. Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin are all free agents. It would not be shocking if the Dolphins redid the entire depth chart as they had one of the least effective running games in the NFL this past season.
Mile Sanders would be a nice upgrade to the backfield as someone that Mike McDaniel could rely on for an every-down role should the need present itself. The running game is what McDaniel built his reputation off of, so it would not be surprising to see him get back to basics and lean on it a little more in 2023.
That would be great news for a player such as Miles Sanders, who would be able to set himself up for another payday down the road with a featured role in an offense. His predicted contract with the Dolphins is a two-year deal worth $12 million.
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