Former Panthers free-agent bust has 'stood out the most' in training camp battle

Uttering the name Miles Sanders in front of Carolina Panthers fans is basically the equivalent of saying curse words around them.

Sanders was signed to a four-year, $25.4 million contract by the Panthers in 2023, but he didn't come anywhere close to living up to that contract, making him one of the more notable free-agent busts for the Panthers.

Sanders looked like a shell of the guy who rushed for 1,269 yards with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. In fact, he barely tallied over half that total in two years in Carolina.

Meanwhile, Chuba Hubbard stepped up and made Sanders an afterthought in the offense en route to earning himself an impressive extension from Carolina.

Fast forward to 2025 and Sanders is now with the Dallas Cowboys after the Panthers cut him loose earlier this offseason. Sanders is competing for the starting job in Dallas against Javonte Williams, and according to Jon Machota of The Athletic, he might be winning that competition.

"Veterans Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams still remain the top two on the depth chart," Machota said. "Sanders has consistently stood out the most, both running and in the passing game."

Now, Sanders' competition isn't exactly stiff, as Williams has been a disappointment over four years in the NFL. However, seeing Sanders beat anyone out is a surprise at this point.

The Cowboys and Panthers indirectly swapped running backs this offseason, with Sanders landing in Dallas and 2024 Cowboys starter Rico Dowdle ending up in Carolina.

Dowdle is coming off a career-best campaign in which he tallied 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards and five total scores. Dowdle amounts to one heck of a backup for Hubbard.

Dowdle replaces Jonathon Brooks, the 2024 second-round pick who was expected to serve as the Panthers' RB2 before he went down with a torn ACL last season.

Brooks was placed on the physically unable to perform list in May and will miss the entire 2025 campaign as he continues to recover.