NFL free agency has officially begun. After spending his first four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, running back Miles Sanders has hit free agency. Returning to the Eagles is pretty much off the table, so where is the best fit for Sanders?
Miles Sanders Free Agency Best Fits
Each free agent class is different, having its own strengths and weaknesses. This year’s running back class was initially stacked with guys like Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, and Saquon Barkley set to hit the market. Unsurprisingly, each of their respective teams franchise-tagged them. Since then, we’ve seen Rashaad Penny — who took Sanders’ place in Philadelphia — and David Montgomery find new homes as well.
With so many running backs already signed, teams looking for help at the position might view Sanders a little more favorably. Removing those players from the equation raises Sanders’ status as a more coveted free agent.
Sanders entered free agency as the fourth-highest-ranked RB in our Top 100 NFL Free Agents list. Even if we add in my preference for Montgomery and Penny over Sanders, that still vaults Sanders up to the top name remaining at the position.
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Part of the problem in assessing Sanders’ possible landing spots is a lack of clarity on how the league views him. We know Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni did not feel Sanders was a player even worth a 50% snap share.
Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano agrees, saying, “The Eagles offense might be built around the running game, but it’s not built around a running back. That’s why Miles Sanders, coming off a career year with 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns, is likely gone. No one believes [Howie] Roseman will invest any amount of serious money in that position. He prefers to invest in his offensive line and just plug in healthy bodies behind it.”
Given Sanders’ athleticism, he should, in theory, be better. Over his career, he’s averaged 5.0 yards per carry. The problem is Sanders is a zero in the passing game, commanding just a 5.2% target share last season. He also makes too many mistakes, often passing up a handful of yards chasing the splash play.
I view Sanders as a two-down back who doesn’t catch passes and isn’t even the best option at the goal line. Still, at 26 years old, Sanders will undoubtedly not only get a job but get one where he will be a relevant member of the running game.
Wherever he lands, Sanders will almost certainly be part of a committee. So, what teams are the best fit for Sanders to sign with in free agency?
Sanders Could Replace David Montgomery on the Bears
While Montgomery signing with the Detroit Lions may have been a bit unexpected, him leaving the Chicago Bears was no surprise to anyone. He was never expected back.
As NBC Sports Chicago’s John Schrock astutely observed, “This is a pretty affordable number. Probably tells you at least one of the parties (Montgomery/Bears) wasn’t as interested as they said in getting a deal done.” My guess is that party was the Bears.
With that in mind, fantasy football managers have been overly excited about the prospect of Khalil Herbert as the team’s feature back. I like Herbert, too, but I remain skeptical that Chicago will enter the season with him as their lead rusher. I fully expect them to pair him with another back in a committee.
Sanders certainly isn’t the receiver Montgomery is, but he could be that early-down rusher for the Bears to pair with Herbert. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Chicago signed Sanders to split the rushing work and add a true passing-down back.
The Bears still have a ton of salary cap space available. They entered the offseason with the most, and even after their moves, they still have the most remaining. While they absolutely shouldn’t overpay any running back — let alone Sanders — Chicago has the funds to lock him up if there’s mutual interest.
I don’t particularly love Sanders as a player, but one of the best fits for him to land would be in Chicago.
Sanders Could Chase the Money and Volume with the Panthers
I get the feeling there may be a disconnect between how much Sanders thinks he’s worth and how much NFL teams think he’s worth. With that said, the Panthers have about $19 million left to spend and are very much in need of a running back with Christian McCaffrey gone and D’Onta Foreman a free agent.
In the midst of a rebuilding year, running back isn’t necessarily a priority. But Carolina does need someone. They just traded away their WR1, DJ Moore, and are perilously thin at the skill positions. In fact, the Panthers have the weakest group of skill-position players in the NFL right now.
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Carolina looks like one of Sanders’ best avenues to a heavier workload, if that’s something he’s interested in. He did see 259 carries last season as part of a committee. Perhaps the Panthers can push him to 270+.
At this point, the Panthers know 2023 is a rebuilding year. They just need to put capable bodies on the field. At 26 years old, given his projected cost, Sanders may be the best fit for the role.
Based on Roster Construction, Sanders Makes Sense for the Buccaneers
It was admittedly difficult to find many quality fits for Sanders. So many teams already have running backs, and the ones that need an RB mostly need a receiving back, which Sanders is not.
Enter the Bucs. Tampa Bay is an interesting fit because they could undeniably use a running back with exactly what Sanders has to offer, but they also may be on the precipice of a rebuild.
Currently, the Buccaneers have the worst cap situation in the NFL. After releasing Leonard Fournette, the Bucs are now left with Rachaad White as their only capable running back. And I use the term “capable” very loosely when referencing White.
White’s best suited for a receiving-back role. It was his best attribute in college, and he was at least moderately effective in that role last year. What the Bucs need is an early-down rusher that’s better than Fournette and White were last season. To be fair, that’s a relatively low bar, as they were two of the least efficient runners in the league.
If the Buccaneers can make it work within the salary cap, Sanders and White could form an effective committee. Financially, as well as team direction-wise, this may not be the best fit. But in terms of roster construction, it makes all the sense in the world.