Sanders looking to get healthy, and better
PHILADELPHIA » The broken hand has healed. The high ankle sprain is 100 percent. But that’s as positive as Eagles running back Miles Sanders can be right now after one of the most disappointing seasons of his life.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, not Sanders, led the Eagles with 784 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season, the latter tied for eighth in the league. Hurts also lifted off on a team-long 56yard jaunt.
Sanders rushed for 754 yards in a dozen games, limited to a dozen due to injuries. His worst stat was left unsaid. For the first season since he entered Woodland Hills (Pa.) High School, Sanders didn’t get into the end zone. The guy who tallied three TDs his first year backing up workhorse Saquon Barkley at Penn State, and six the next was last in the Eagles’ running back room in touchdowns because rookie Kenneth Gainwell caught a scoring pass.
“I just take it a little personal,” Sanders said. “Just the type of year I had last year, I was nowhere near satisfied with how I played and my availability too. I didn’t like the way the season went, personally.”
The Eagles didn’t retain running back Jordan Howard, who rushed for three TDs in seven games last season. They re-signed Boston Scott, who rushed for seven touchdowns in 16 games.
Sanders’ injuries and his mistakes running the wrong routes or missing assignments almost made him a liability on offense. Opponents quickly realized the Eagles could trust him with only a condensed package of plays, and that made it more difficult for the 2019 second-round draft pick to contribute.
“Just my play overall, there’s some stuff I can improve on,”
Sanders said. “Just all-around playing and catching the ball as well as I should have. I made wrong reads at times. I’ve just got to be a better player, more consistent at those types of things.”
While every season is a big one for a pro football player, Sanders is in the last year of a rookie contract paying him $1.225 million this season. Though he wouldn’t confirm or deny contract talks with the Eagles, it’s hard to believe he’s a priority. The Eagles also have to decide this year whether to pick up the option year on Hurts’ pact or extend his deal.
“I’m not really worried about the contract,” Sanders said. “Not as much as you guys think I should. I’m not really worried about that. I’m just trying to keep it focused on the season and what we’ve got as a team and the guys we added. We’ve got a great team. Things are going well.”
The Eagles traded a firstround pick and change to secure A.J. Brown, formerly of the Titans. They also gave him a fouryear, $100 million contract to be their No. 1 receiver. With DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and Zach Pascal, another veteran addition, the Eagles on paper
have the weapons to make themselves a better team.
“I think we have a lot of talent on this offense,” Sanders said. “It’s just taking our time putting it all together. Adding a guy like A.J. Brown is going to make our offense 10 times better. DeVonta and Dallas; we added Zach, too. I love the squad we have. I know Jalen, he’s happy. He’s walking in with a smile on his face every day. He tells me he thinks this is going to be huge. Everybody is getting along. The chemistry is getting better and better each day. I definitely think the receiving corps that we have is going to make the running game even better.”
Sanders knows he has to stay healthy. He hasn’t been available for more than a dozen games since he led the Eagles with 1,327 all-purpose yards as a rookie. Sanders also had six TDs that season, three rushing, three receiving. If he wants to get paid like a No. 1 running back, he needs to get enough snaps to be the workhorse. This is a critical season for him.
“The contract, it’s there but I don’t go into the season thinking about that,” Sanders said. “I’ll let that take care of itself by playing. Whatever happens, happens.”