CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miles Sanders arrived at training camp this summer with a newfound motivation, eager to prove he can still be the Carolina Panthers’ No. 1 running back after losing his starting job last season.
And while Sanders remains behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart heading into the season opener Sunday at New Orleans, it’s clear that he’s gained ground and is pushing for a bigger share of the workload.
“He has looked fantastic,” Panthers first-year head coach Dave Canales said. “He came into camp with this focus and this seriousness about the way he worked. He is emerging as a leader.”
Frank Reich, who was fired 11 games into his tenure as Panthers head coach last season, planned for Sanders to be the “every down back” after Carolina lured him away from the Philadelphia Eagles with a four-year, $25.4 million contract.
But Sanders’ stock dropped rapidly.
He lost his starting job about a month into the season and finished with a career-low 432 yards rushing and just one touchdown on the ground — a dramatic dip from his breakout 1,269-yard rushing, 11-touchdown season in Philadelphia in 2022.
Hubbard, meanwhile, went on to lead Carolina with 902 yards rushing and five TDs, while averaging 3.9 yards per carry compared to Sanders’ 3.3. Hubbard also outpaced Sanders as a receiver with 32 receptions to Sanders’ 27.
By the end of last season, Sanders had all but disappeared from Carolina’s offensive game plan.
He had only 14 carries for 33 yards over the final four games, the final two of which the Panthers were shutout. It was a rough end to a frustrating season for Sanders.
“Last year was kind of all over the place and it left a very sour taste in my mouth,” Sanders said. “One, how I played, and two, how everything played out. So I feel like I’ve got something to prove. That’s every year, but this year is a little different — and I’m not going down without a fight.”
Sanders still has strong feelings on why things went south last season, but declined to elaborate.
But he likes the direction the Panthers are headed under Canales, who has repeatedly vowed to remain committed to establishing the running game.
“Everybody is on the same page, I can just say that,” Sanders said. “You can feel it and the energy is contagious.”
Sanders said he spent time in the Dominican Republic and Bahamas with family in the offseason relaxing and trying to digest exactly what happened. But he didn’t let it get him down, returning a few weeks later to begin a grueling workout regimen that he feels has left him in the best shape of his career.
“I’m going to make it very hard for Chuba and the coaches to not give me that ball,” Sanders said.
Canales essentially used Rachaad White as his primary back last season while working as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, but foresees a scenario where he might employ a two-back approach with Hubbard and Sanders.
The Panthers also want to bring along rookie Jonathan Brooks, the team’s second-round pick who’s expected to miss the first 1 1/2 months of the season while recovering from a torn ACL at Texas.
“That’s really the approach that we would hope for, to keep Miles and Chuba continuing to spot each other as we go through it,” Canales said.
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