Chip on shoulder of $18 million RB makes him a wild card for Cowboys backfield

When Miles Sanders signed with the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the month, it was almost treated as an afterthought amongst the fanbase. Sanders is coming off two fairly horrific seasons in Carolina and the Cowboys had just added a different running back, Javonte Williams, to the roster only days prior. In many ways Williams looked like the insurance policy for Dallas while Sanders looked like an insurance policy for an insurance policy.

The 2025 NFL draft features one of the deepest pools of running backs seen in years. RB needy teams like the Cowboys should theoretically have no trouble finding a capable starter deep into draft weekend. If Williams was a backup option or complimentary, Sanders, signed for $1.2 million salary that's mostly guaranteed, felt like a redundant piece.

But it would be unwise for anyone to count someone like Sanders out. Not only does the former Pro Bowler whose made $18.7 million so far have abnormally low milage for a six-year vet, with 5,589 career scrimmage yards and 27 scores, but the 27-year-old sounds like he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder and is eager to prove doubters wrong.

"These last two years, I don't really have much to say," said Sanders of his time in Carolina. "I guess I'd say I handled the situation as best I could, there were a lot of things out of my control that I would not like to speak on and just keep it in house, so I'll just keep it at that."

There was some bad blood shared by Sanders and his former Panthers team. Blame appears to be warranted for all parties, with both sides eager to move on 2025. Carolina will move on with the impressive trio of Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Brooks and Rico Dowdle, while Sanders will move on in some uncertain co-op under Brian Schottenheimer in Dallas.

Based on recent film there’s little reason to be very high on Sanders as a competitor in 2025. He isn’t the pass protector or receiver Williams has been, nor is he the short yardage weapon or battering ram. He’s a good runner with better breakaway ability but even that has been fairly tempered since his breakout 2021 season in Philadelphia.

Pro Football Focus grades show a player who’s finished 50^th or lower amongst fellow RBs over the past two seasons. Even his Pro Bowl season was graded only slightly higher than average for Sanders. Interestingly enough, that last fun fact could actually be Sanders’ saving grace. His most productive season as a pro, a year he posted 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, was just average. That’s all the Cowboys really need their new runner to be.

Since RB success is often just a byproduct of an offense’s run blocking and play design, the pressure really falls on the offensive line, the new offensive coordinator, and Schottenheimer himself to make things work. All Sanders needs to bring is that chip on his shoulder.

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Mile Sanders could be low-cost contributor for Dallas Cowboys in 2025

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