Miles Sanders‘ Panthers tenure is likely to come to an end after the year, but he could suit up one last time for the team this Sunday. The veteran running back has been designated for return from injured reserve.
As a result, Sanders will be able to practice in advance of Carolina’s season finale. Such a move would likely not have been made if his high ankle sprain had not healed to the point where playing in Week 18 was feasible. The 27-year-old has been on IR since late November.
During his Eagles tenure, Sanders demonstrated considerable efficiency and set a new career high with 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in the final year of his rookie contract. As expected, he managed to parlay that success into a notable four-year, $25.4M deal with the Panthers that was the most lucrative pact handed out to a running back in 2023. Things have not gone according to plan since his arrival, however.
Sanders played 16 games last year, but his 31% snap share and 129 carries both represented career lows. Chuba Hubbard surpassed him on the depth chart, something which has remained the case through to the current campaign. In spite of Hubbard’s strong play and the decision to draft Jonathon Brooks last April, Carolina initially intended to keep Sanders in place. The team’s stance about moving on changed in advance of the trade deadline, but no deal was ultimately worked out.
Given the time missed due to injury and his spot in the RB pecking order, Sanders has only recorded 237 scrimmage yards and one touchdown to date in 2024. With Brooks on the shelf with another ACL tear and Hubbard unavailable for the season finale, though, he could receive a notable workload against the Falcons. A strong showing could help rebuild his value to an extent, but with no guaranteed salary on his deal beyond this season a release would not come as a surprise. Sanders is due a $1M roster bonus shortly after the start of the new league year, so being let go before that point would be a feasible move on Carolina’s part.
Brooks’ second ACL tear clouds his availability for the 2025 season, but with Hubbard inking a long-term extension recently his status as the Panthers’ lead back moving forward is assured. Sanders could be auditioning to potential suitors on Sunday provided he is brought onto the active roster in time to play. Carolina has one IR activation remaining.
