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It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...
Miles Sanders recently concluded the best season of his career. He scored 11 touchdowns, more than doubling his previous career total of nine. His 1,269 yards were a career-high, exceeding his previous best by over 400 yards and ranking him fifth in the NFL. This total was the tenth-highest in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, and he now ranks eighth in franchise rushing yards.
Conversely, Sanders also experienced the worst season of his career. As a receiver, he posted career lows across the board, with 26 targets, 20 receptions, and 78 receiving yards. In points per reception formats, Sanders added just 1.74 points via the passing game. Among backs who finished in the top 30 in fantasy points, only Jamaal Williams contributed less to their fantasy total. In contrast, Austin Ekeler added over 12 points per game to his total through the passing game.
However, this was not always the case.
In his rookie season, Sanders recorded 50 receptions for 509 yards and three touchdowns. In the history of the NFL, only 11 rookie running backs have achieved at least 50 receptions, 500 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the growth in the passing game, especially the short, controlled passing game, and the willingness of NFL teams to involve rookies immediately, only five of these seasons have occurred in the last 20 years, and none since Sanders in 2019.
Table: Rookie Running Backs with at least 50 receptions, 500 receiving yards, and 3 receiving touchdowns
| Rank | NAME | POS | YR | AGE | EXP | G | REC | RECYD | YD/REC | RECTD | FANT PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Alstott | rb | 1996 | 23 | 1 | 16 | 65 | 557 | 8.57 | 3 | 129.4 |
| 2 | Saquon Barkley | rb | 2018 | 21 | 1 | 16 | 91 | 721 | 7.92 | 4 | 292.8 |
| 3 | Giovani Bernard | rb | 2013 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 56 | 514 | 9.18 | 3 | 168.9 |
| 4 | Earl Cooper | rb | 1980 | 23 | 1 | 16 | 83 | 567 | 6.83 | 4 | 182.7 |
| 5 | Abner Haynes | rb | 1960 | 23 | 1 | 14 | 55 | 576 | 10.47 | 3 | 217.1 |
| 6 | Edgerrin James | rb | 1999 | 21 | 1 | 16 | 62 | 586 | 9.45 | 4 | 315.9 |
| 7 | Alvin Kamara | rb | 2017 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 82 | 826 | 10.07 | 5 | 233.4 |
| 8 | Terry Kirby | rb | 1993 | 23 | 1 | 16 | 75 | 874 | 11.65 | 3 | 162.4 |
| 9 | Christian McCaffrey | rb | 2017 | 21 | 1 | 16 | 80 | 651 | 8.14 | 5 | 150.6 |
| 10 | Miles Sanders | rb | 2019 | 22 | 1 | 16 | 50 | 509 | 10.18 | 3 | 168.7 |
| 11 | Billy Sims | rb | 1980 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 51 | 621 | 12.18 | 3 | 288.4 |
Sanders presents a duality. He has demonstrated explosive ability, yet certain aspects of his game have left fantasy players unsatisfied. After all, his 11 touchdowns came on the heels of a season in which he failed to score.
Sanders's enigma persists as he embarks on a new chapter of his career with the Carolina Panthers. While the offense is wide open, devoid of any consistent playmakers, and Carolina prioritized Sanders in free agency, he is also leaving one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Can he thrive in this new offensive structure? How does he fit within the scheme?
Frank Reich's Record with Running Backs
Throughout his tenure as an offensive coordinator and head coach, new Panthers coach Frank Reich has typically favored a specialized, two-headed committee approach. However, it's reasonable to question how much of this usage was strategic planning versus simply utilizing the players at his disposal.
Reich inherited situations where players like Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles, known as some of the NFL's best pass-catching specialists over the past decade, were already on the roster. Reich was the offensive coordinator when the Chargers selected Melvin Gordon in the first round of the 2015 draft and the head coach when Jonathan Taylor was picked 41st by the Colts. In both instances, the team began to shift away from committee usage immediately.
| Year | Team | RB1 | Rushes | Targets | RB2 | Rushes | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Chargers | Melvin Gordon | 184 | 37 | Danny Woodhead | 98 | 106 |
| 2016 | Eagles | Ryan Matthews | 155 | 14 | Darren Sproles | 94 | 71 |
| 2017 | Eagles | LeGarrette Blount | 173 | 8 | Corey Clement | 74 | 15 |
| 2018 | Colts | Marlon Mack | 195 | 26 | Nyheim Hines | 85 | 81 |
| 2019 | Colts | Marlon Mack | 247 | 17 | Nyheim Hines | 52 | 58 |
| 2020 | Colts | Jonathan Taylor | 232 | 39 | Nyheim Hines | 89 | 76 |
| 2021 | Colts | Jonathan Taylor | 332 | 51 | Nyheim Hines | 56 | 57 |
"Miles is a three-down back, and he can do a little bit of everything," coach Frank Reich said. "That signing was a really big signing for us. I knew we knew it at the time, but now we really know."
Sanders is excited about reuniting with running backs coach Duce Staley, his position coach as a rookie: "Most importantly, he knows what I'm about, and he's the one that drafted me. We're going to get back to what we've been doing."