Panthers Newcomer Enters 2023 With Chip on His Shoulder

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders is coming off the best season of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he wasn’t thrilled with how the season ended. Speaking to Steve Reed of the Associated Press, the first-year Panther said he was disappointed that the team didn’t trust him to play a bigger role in the Super Bowl.

Miles Sanders Disappointed With End of 2022 Season

Super Bowl Fallout

After spending his first three years in Philadelphia as part of a committee, Miles Sanders finally earned a three-down workload in the 2022 season. Appearing in all 17 regular season games, the former second-round pick recorded 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 259 attempt to go along with 20 receptions for 78 yards on 26 targets.

Unfortunately for Sanders, this large workload did not carry over into the Super Bowl. During the biggest game of the year, the running back saw the field for just 26 snaps, recording 16 yards on seven carries. Backup running back Kenneth Gainwell, meanwhile, played in 38 snaps and finished the night with seven carries for 21 yards.

“Last game of the season? For all the marbles? Everybody can answer that question,” Sanders said. “If they put themselves in my shoes, would they be happy? I don’t want to make headlines, [but] if it does, I don’t care.”

In fairness to the Eagles coaching staff, Miles Sanders didn’t exactly have the game of his life in the Super Bowl. The running back fumbled on the first play of the game, and he also dropped a pass that nearly resulted in a defensive touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s entirely possible that these two incidents led to his decreased role, but no matter what the reason is, Sanders is using this perceived slight to motivate himself for the 2023 season.

Miles Sanders Ready For A Fresh Start

While the Super Bowl was disappointing, Sanders said that’s not the reason he didn’t re-sign with the Carolina Panthers.

“I can get into that another day, maybe,” Sanders said. “Maybe you should ask them why I’m moving here.”

This quote implies that the Panthers simply made a better offer, and Sanders followed the money to a team that places a higher value on his services. Clearly, his time in Philadelphia didn’t end on the highest of notes, but he believes he can continue his high level of play with a new organization.

“[Signing with the Panthers] is going to give me more opportunities to help my team win, and that’s all I’m about,” Sanders said. “I’m a team guy and I want to do whatever I can to help our team win. Making it to a Super Bowl is pretty addicting and if I knew the formula I would do it every year.”

Now with a decent-sized contract and no real backfield competition, Miles Sanders has the opportunity to prove himself right with his new team. While he obviously won’t put up Christian McCaffrey numbers, Sanders should be able to be an effective early-down runner with some upside as a pass catcher.