There's nothing wrong with cashing in as a free agent, considering most players only get so many opportunities (if any) to do so. But if you gave new Dallas Cowboys running back Miles Sanders truth serum, he'd presumably express regret about leaving the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sanders' decline has been sharp since following the money to sign a four-year, $25 million deal with the Carolina Panthers just two offseasons ago. He made it through half of the contract before getting released this March, quickly going from budding star in Philadelphia to veteran journeyman. Now a member of the Eagles' divisional rival Cowboys, the reigning Super Bowl champions were out on him at the right time.
Former Eagles star RB Miles Sanders' stock has taken a nosedive since leaving Philadelphia
In two years with the Panthers, Sanders compiled fewer combined scrimmage yards than in three of his four individual seasons in Philadelphia. Woof. He quickly fell out of favor in Carolina, starting only the five games of the 2023 campaign before being benched for Chuba Hubbard.
Despite making a significant investment in Sanders, including $13 million in guaranteed money, the Panthers were comfortable ending the experiment swiftly. Simply put, he wasn't getting the job done, so they turned to Hubbard, who was much more productive in the same situation.
Even knowing they'll be without rising second-year tailback Jonathon Brooks for "most if not all of 2025," ($) the Panthers had no issues cutting Sanders. Ironically, they replaced him with ex-Cowboys runner Rico Dowdle in what happened to be an inadvertent, lopsided swap. Nonetheless, Carolina preferred to pivot, highlighting the one-time Pro Bowler's regression.
The most glaring takeaway from Sanders' decision to leave the Eagles is that they have the personnel and infrastructure to elevate running backs. Philly takes tremendous pride in building through the trenches, perennially boasting one of football's best offensive lines. The 28-year-old always had gaping rushing lanes running behind future Hall of Famers like Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jason Peters, among other notable blockers.
Across four seasons with the Eagles, Sanders boasted a 53.9 percent rushing success rate, markedly above 2024's league average of 49.6. He also averaged a healthy 5.0 yards per carry. Those numbers dropped to 41.8 and 3.5 during his underwhelming stint with the Panthers.