Miles Sanders Had Negative Rushing Yards in Thursday Night Football Loss
The Eagles decided to let Miles Sanders walk in the summer, instead putting together a committee of D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Rashaad Penny. Sanders, who got a four year, $25 million contract with the Panthers, logged negative rushing yards in Thursday night’s Chicago loss:
Sanders did catch two passes for 15 yards, one of which moved the sticks on 4th down, but that’s not why they’re paying him $25 mil. He’s carried the ball 10 times over the last three games for a total of 34 yards, and has 23 fewer carries than Chuba Hubbard, a guy earning less than a million on the third year of his rookie deal.
Naturally, you wonder how much the Eagles offensive line was responsible for Sanders’ 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago. The Birds had one of the most significant “yards before contact” numbers across the league, which meant that Sanders was typically hitting gaping holes. Individually, he finished #1 among all running backs with 837 of his rushing yards taking place before he was touched. That’s about 66%. The only guys with higher numbers were scrambling/running QBs like Josh Allen and Justin Fields.
That pretty much tells the story. Sanders did a great job last season, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that the Birds’ offensive line could have turned anyone into a thousand yard rusher.