The Eagles didn’t add a running back in free agency or in the draft, leaving Miles Sanders as RB1. Sanders enters his third season in that role but still has a lot to prove as he heads into a contract year.
Sanders has not played every game in a season since his rookie season. He has never had even 900 yards rushing in a season and never more than six touchdowns in a season. Sanders had no touchdowns in 2021.
How he fares this season will determine his future.
“(My) mentality is a little different,” Sanders said of his offseason, via Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com. “It’s taking it a little personal, just the year I had last year. I was nowhere near as satisfied with where I played or my availability. So all that stuff means a lot to me. Being the top guy in the running back room, I’ve got to hold the standard. . . . That’s being healthy and being able to produce.”
Sanders did average a career-best 5.5 yards per carry last season and 5.1-yard career average. But he has much work to do to join the conversation as one of the best backs in the NFL worthy of a second contract from the team that drafted him in the second round.
“Some stuff I can improve on and with injuries, as simple as that,” Sanders said. “I didn’t catch the ball as well as I should have, made the wrong reads sometimes. (I can) just try to be a better player all over and more consistent.”
The Eagles don’t have anyone to challenge Sanders for the starting role, with Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott the backups. They signed Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks as an undrafted rookie.
Sanders, 25, continues to insist he’s not worried about his contract. He’s right: The contract will take care of itself as this season will go a long way in determining his worth in free agency.