Raiders Work Out RB Miles Sanders

The team’s oldest running backs are Chris Collier and Dylan Laube, both 26 years old and entering their third NFL seasons with a combined 13 career rushing attempts. Las Vegas also has two rookies: fourth-round pick Mike Washington and undrafted free agent Roman Hemby.

Jeanty bore a hefty workload as a rookie and is likely in line for a similar role this year. But new head coach Klint Kubiak split carries between Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet in Seattle last year, indicating he might be searching for more balance in his backfield.

Some veteran help may be on the way in the form of Miles Sanders, who worked out for the Raiders on Monday (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler).

Sanders, 29, appeared in four games for the Cowboys last year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. He has been fully cleared to return to the field and would immediately become the most experienced player in the Raiders’ running back room.

Originally an Eagles second-round pick in 2019, Sanders held down a starting job in Philadelphia for four years. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry and earned a Pro Bowl nod for his 1,269-yard, 11-touchdown campaign in 2022. That earned him a four-year, $25.4MM deal from the Panthers, who had just traded Christian McCaffrey at the previous trade deadline, creating the expectation that Sanders would be Carolina’s next lead back.

But Chuba Hubbard instead took the lion’s share of the Panthers’ backfield work in 2023 with 238 carries to Sanders’ 129. The divide widened the following year with Hubbard taking 250 carries and Sanders’ count dropping to 55, foretelling the end of his time in Carolina. He was released in the offseason and took a veteran minimum deal with the Cowboys, but his injury prevented him from re-establishing himself as a reliable part of a running back rotation.

Signing in Las Vegas would position Sanders to compete for a role in the Raiders’ backfield. His experience could certainly give him a leg up in the chase for a roster spot.