3 Eagles under intense pressure in 2022 who are not named Jalen Hurts

Will Miles Sanders prove he’s the franchise running back the Eagles drafted him to be?

Philadelphia drafted former Penn State Nittany Lion, Miles Sanders, in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. That’s proven to be a good decision despite an off-year in 2021. It’s been a tough go for Penn State running backs as Sanders and New York Giants tailback Saquon Barkley have both had issues with remaining healthy.

Sanders has only played in 24 games over the course of the last two NFL seasons. He’s only been able to muster six rushing touchdowns over that span. He didn’t reach the end zone at all a season ago. Those have been the knocks on Sanders, but there are others.

He also coughed the ball up six times over the past two seasons, and he’s never produced more than 1,000 yards rushing in any of his three professional seasons.

Sanders has had to endure issues along the Eagles’ offensive line, but that wasn’t the case last year, so a career-worst 754 yards rushing and 158 receiving yards receiving is hard to explain.

If Sanders can’t stay healthy or produce to the level we’d expect from a premier tailback, why should the Eagles give him the big bucks? They can find a cheaper option in the next year’s draft or pick up someone in free agency, right?

Miles has the goods. When he is healthy, he’s electrifying, but he has to prove that on a game-in and game-out basis during the 2022-2023 season, or we could be watching his final games in an Eagles jersey.