Dallas Cowboys Insider Makes Bold Miles Sanders Prediction
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A backfield shakeup took place for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. The team added two players with starting experience, who will be battling it out for the first-team carries in training camp beginning this week.
As Dallas heads into their first training camp session on Tuesday, a team of insiders discussed the state of the backfield and projected the day-one starter at the position. While the consensus might say the former Denver Broncos rusher Javonte Williams is in the driver's seat based on minicamp, Dallas insider Tommy Yarrish predicts Miles Sanders.
"I think of all the backs in the room, he's got the most juice left and the best chance to benefit from a fresh start after Sanders struggled in his two seasons with the Panthers," Yarrish wrote.
"It's hard to tell, given what we've seen in padless practices, who is rising to the top in the running back room, and will likely be a better question to monitor at training camp, but in shorts, Sanders looks a bit more explosive compared to the rest of the group."
Earlier in his career, Sanders was one of the most notable running backs in the league. Coming out of Penn State, Sanders was a second-round draft selection for the Philadelphia Eagles. Therefore, the Cowboys had a chance to get to know Sanders really well from the other side of the ball.
Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on October 16, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Miles Sanders #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on October 16, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.During Sanders's rookie season, he wasn't a full-time starter but had plenty of opportunities to prove he was a dual threat. He took on 179 carries for 818 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. He caught 50 passes for 509 yards and scored three times.
By year two, Sanders was a full-time starter for the Eagles. He exceeded 750 yards in each of his next two years before putting together a career year in 2022.
Sanders was a major help for the Eagles amid their 2022 Super Bowl run. In 17 games, the young veteran took on 259 carries for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. It was the first time in Sanders' career he exceeded 200 carries in a season.
Following the Eagles' 38-35 loss in Super Bowl LVII, Sanders became a free agent for the first time in his career. With his stock soaring, he landed a four-year contract worth over $25 million in free agency. Once he joined the Carolina Panthers, Sanders struggled to live up to his contract.
Year one in Carolina included a 432-yard season on the ground. He followed up that campaign with 205 yards off 55 carries in 11 games in 2024. Unsurprisingly, the Panthers parted ways with Sanders at the start of the offseason. Just a few days later, the Cowboys scooped him up on a one-year, prove-it deal.
Sanders will be in a preseason/camp battle with the former Denver Broncos running back, Javonte Williams. Over four seasons, Williams appeared in 54 games. He averaged nearly 600 yards per season in Denver. Last year, Williams rushed for 513 yards and four touchdowns.
The Cowboys can take several paths to get creative with their backfield situation next season. While picking a feature back between Sanders and Williams is certainly an option. So is utilizing them as a committee. If those options are unsuccessful, Dallas could be players in the trade market.
For more Dallas Cowboys and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cornerback Caelen Carson joins Cowboys' growing injury list with hyperextended knee
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The injuries are mounting at training camp for the Dallas Cowboys, with cornerback Caelen Carson the latest expected to miss multiple weeks after injuring a knee. The team reported on its website Tuesday that Carson hyperextended a knee in practice Monday and could miss four to six weeks. There's a similar time frame for left tackle Tyler Guyton, who went down with a knee fracture in the same practice in California. Offensive lineman Rob Jones broke a bone in his neck in the first padded practice of camp over the weekend and is expected to be out two to three months. Carson and Guyton are second-year players with strong chances to start. Carson would be filling in for Trevon Diggs, who isn't expected to be ready for the Sept. 4 opener at Philadelphia in what has been a long recovery from knee surgery. Last year, Carson surged into a starting role as a rookie fifth-round draft pick when DaRon Bland was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot late in the preseason and ended up missing the first 10 games. Carson also was limited by injuries, including a season-ending shoulder issue, and played in just six games all season after starting the first three. Diggs and Josh Butler, who tore an ACL late last season, are on the physically unable to perform list. Dallas added depth at cornerback for camp by signing Christian Matthew, a seventh-round pick by Arizona three years ago. ___ AP NFL: The Associated Press
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs' Chris Jones: The backstory behind the 'Chris Rule,' and what's made him a three-time All-Pro
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Nearly six years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs were just beginning their rise to prominence, Chris Jones tweaked a muscle in practice bad enough that coach Andy Reid made the difficult decision to hold him out of a playoff game against Houston. Jones wanted to play. In fact, he tried to push through the injury in warmups. But Reid was steadfast, and the Chiefs didn't need him in the end. After spotting the Texans a 24-0 lead, Patrick Mahomes & Co. caught fire, and Kansas City rolled to a 51-31 victory. And when Jones returned the next week, the Chiefs handily beat the Titans for the AFC championship — two wins that ultimately propelled them to their first Super Bowl title in five decades. It turns out the backstory to the injury explains a lot about why Jones, now a 31-year-old veteran preparing for his 10th season in the league, has become a three-time All-Pro and one of the game's premier defensive players. He's competitive. He's relentless. And he doesn't suffer fools gladly. You see, in practice, hitting the quarterback is strictly verboten. It's why QBs usually wear a different-colored jersey, yellow in the case of Kansas City. Yet pulling back as a defender whose instincts are honed to bring down whomever has the ball can be a difficult challenge, even more so when it's Patrick Mahomes dancing around the pocket, almost as if he's mocking you. 'So we were in a battle,' Jones recalled, after a recent training camp practice in the brutal heat and humidity that seems to engulf Missouri Western State University this time of year, "and I had to show Pat that I can really catch you. 'I just chill,' — usually, Jones added— 'because we have to stay 5 to 10 yards away from the quarterback. And it got serious one day, and I ended up pulling a (muscle). And I was like: 'You know what, Pat? You got it.'' Yes, the affable Jones had been so competitive that, even in a midweek practice against his own teammates, he managed to hurt himself before what to that point had been the most important game of a championship season. 'Now,' Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, 'we've got a special rule for Chris on that.' The so-called Chris Rule is quite simple: Once he beats the offensive line in practice, he must stand there. Just stand there. 'Patrick does some crazy stuff back there. It gets very competitive,' Jones said, sounding downright exasperated. 'You know you can't touch the quarterback, so the quarterback can stand and hold the ball for five or six seconds during the play.' You can see how that could become annoying. Even infuriating. Fortunately for Jones, there are no Chris Rules when games begin. And that is decidedly unfortunate for opposing QBs, who have become keenly aware of his game-wrecking ability. Jones followed a 15 1/2-sack season three years ago and 10 1/2 the next with five sacks last season, a number made more modest only because the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Jones was faced with constant double- and triple-teams, and those in turn allowed many of his teammates to get to the quarterback instead. George Karlaftis had eight sacks last season, helping to earn him a four-year, $93 million deal a couple of weeks ago. Tershawn Wharton produced a career-best 6 1/2, which earned him a three-year, $30 million contract with Carolina. 'I've watched (Jones) over the years,' said Jerry Tillery, who signed with the Chiefs in the offseason to play alongside him, 'and that's somebody at the top of our game who's doing it the best. To watch this guy work and to be with him — I think that type of player is somebody who can raise everybody's level.' Jones acknowledged that his game has had to evolve over the years, especially the past six, since those days of trying to chase Mahomes around practice. He still is one of the strongest players in the league, capable of beating a woebegone offensive lineman with brute force, but he now has the priceless benefit of experience on his side. His explosive athletic ability paired with some nuance and craft has made for quite a combination. 'I mean, he's as dynamic as they come,' Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. In games, anyway. On the superheated training fields of Missouri Western, about an hour's drive north of Arrowhead Stadium, that dynamism can still last only as long as it takes Jones to beat the man in front of him — sometimes a fraction of a second. Then, according to the Chris Rules, Jones will dutifully stand up and watch the rest of the play unfold. 'Over time,' Jones said, 'you get to see the younger guys are faster. You're a little slower. You don't move the same. So you have to cherish these moments. Cherish these individuals you get to battle with every day, and enjoy the practice.' ___ AP NFL:
Fox Sports
23 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Chiefs' Chris Jones: The backstory behind the 'Chris Rule,' and what's made him a three-time All-Pro
Associated Press ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Nearly six years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs were just beginning their rise to prominence, Chris Jones tweaked a muscle in practice bad enough that coach Andy Reid made the difficult decision to hold him out of a playoff game against Houston. Jones wanted to play. In fact, he tried to push through the injury in warmups. But Reid was steadfast, and the Chiefs didn't need him in the end. After spotting the Texans a 24-0 lead, Patrick Mahomes & Co. caught fire, and Kansas City rolled to a 51-31 victory. And when Jones returned the next week, the Chiefs handily beat the Titans for the AFC championship — two wins that ultimately propelled them to their first Super Bowl title in five decades. It turns out the backstory to the injury explains a lot about why Jones, now a 31-year-old veteran preparing for his 10th season in the league, has become a three-time All-Pro and one of the game's premier defensive players. He's competitive. He's relentless. And he doesn't suffer fools gladly. You see, in practice, hitting the quarterback is strictly verboten. It's why QBs usually wear a different-colored jersey, yellow in the case of Kansas City. Yet pulling back as a defender whose instincts are honed to bring down whomever has the ball can be a difficult challenge, even more so when it's Patrick Mahomes dancing around the pocket, almost as if he's mocking you. 'So we were in a battle,' Jones recalled, after a recent training camp practice in the brutal heat and humidity that seems to engulf Missouri Western State University this time of year, "and I had to show Pat that I can really catch you. 'I just chill,' — usually, Jones added— 'because we have to stay 5 to 10 yards away from the quarterback. And it got serious one day, and I ended up pulling a (muscle). And I was like: 'You know what, Pat? You got it.'' Yes, the affable Jones had been so competitive that, even in a midweek practice against his own teammates, he managed to hurt himself before what to that point had been the most important game of a championship season. 'Now,' Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said, 'we've got a special rule for Chris on that.' The so-called Chris Rule is quite simple: Once he beats the offensive line in practice, he must stand there. Just stand there. 'Patrick does some crazy stuff back there. It gets very competitive,' Jones said, sounding downright exasperated. 'You know you can't touch the quarterback, so the quarterback can stand and hold the ball for five or six seconds during the play.' You can see how that could become annoying. Even infuriating. Fortunately for Jones, there are no Chris Rules when games begin. And that is decidedly unfortunate for opposing QBs, who have become keenly aware of his game-wrecking ability. Jones followed a 15 1/2-sack season three years ago and 10 1/2 the next with five sacks last season, a number made more modest only because the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Jones was faced with constant double- and triple-teams, and those in turn allowed many of his teammates to get to the quarterback instead. George Karlaftis had eight sacks last season, helping to earn him a four-year, $93 million deal a couple of weeks ago. Tershawn Wharton produced a career-best 6 1/2, which earned him a three-year, $30 million contract with Carolina. 'I've watched (Jones) over the years,' said Jerry Tillery, who signed with the Chiefs in the offseason to play alongside him, 'and that's somebody at the top of our game who's doing it the best. To watch this guy work and to be with him — I think that type of player is somebody who can raise everybody's level.' Jones acknowledged that his game has had to evolve over the years, especially the past six, since those days of trying to chase Mahomes around practice. He still is one of the strongest players in the league, capable of beating a woebegone offensive lineman with brute force, but he now has the priceless benefit of experience on his side. His explosive athletic ability paired with some nuance and craft has made for quite a combination. 'I mean, he's as dynamic as they come,' Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. In games, anyway. On the superheated training fields of Missouri Western, about an hour's drive north of Arrowhead Stadium, that dynamism can still last only as long as it takes Jones to beat the man in front of him — sometimes a fraction of a second. Then, according to the Chris Rules, Jones will dutifully stand up and watch the rest of the play unfold. 'Over time,' Jones said, 'you get to see the younger guys are faster. You're a little slower. You don't move the same. So you have to cherish these moments. Cherish these individuals you get to battle with every day, and enjoy the practice.' ___ AP NFL: recommended Item 1 of 3
