Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Can Miles Sanders win OROY?

With the Philadelphia Eagles’ committee approach to their backfield and with a creative head coach, does Miles Sanders have any shot of winning offensive rookie of the year?

He’s the only person on the planet who can say he was the 53rd person taken in the 2019 NFL Draft. His former head coach, James Franklin once told the Philly media that he had Saquon Barkley looking over his shoulder at Penn State. Who is he? He’s Philadelphia Eagles rookie running back Miles Sanders, and according to some NFL experts, he was a wise selection in the most recent selection meeting.

Still, with all of the great things that we can say about him, there are a few question marks. How much will he play? How good can he be? Does he have a shot at being a difference maker? Let’s look around and see what the media’s been saying.

Here’s what Lance Zierlein said a few months ago in his draft profile on NFL.com:

"Well-built glider with the instincts, footwork and agility to shake tacklers but the frame and pad level to finish with some authority. He can clearly create yardage for himself, but he has average acceleration and might need to expedite his downhill process as a pro. Sanders is more skilled than explosive, but he has the size and talent to develop into a future starter with every-down potential."

In that same draft profile, we were provided with some insight from an actual NFL coach:

"“He sees it well, but it looks like he’s imitating Saquon (Barkley) with all the stop-start stuff he does. He doesn’t have Saquon’s go-go juice so he needs to be careful with all that stuff. Just trust your eyes and go. That’s what I would tell him.” — Running backs coach for AFC team"

Recently, Zierlein announced his list of the top-ten offensive rookie of the year candidates. Here’s the list. You’ll notice a few glaring ommission if you’re an Eagles fan.

1. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

2. Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

3. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

4. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens

5. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

6. N’Keal Harry WR, New England Patriots

7. D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

8. Dwayne Haskins, QB, Washington Redskins

9. Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

10. Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

There’s no Andre Dillard, no J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and no Miles Sanders. Here’s the thing, and this is a very good thing. Much of the reason that we can actually agree with this list slightly is the fact that Philly won’t need to rely totally on Dillard, Arcega-Whiteside, or Sanders.

Neither will start. All sit behind great talent on the depth chart. None will have to assume important roles right away. Still, right around 200 yards through the air or 500 yards on the ground (or both) are definitely reasonable expectations for Sanders’ rookie season.

Who knows? If he comes up with a few timely plays that are memorable in big moments, he might crash the rookie of the year conversations. No Eagles fan will complain if that’s, indeed, what happens.