Miles Sanders

Career StatsB-

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	YPC
Career		88	4,462	24	4.7
2025		4	117	1	5.8
2024		11	205	2	3.7
2023		16

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Net of age, position, and term, Miles Sanders's deal earns a B Contract Value Index. At $1.34M AAV on a one-year deal, Sanders is operating at the financial margins of the league—a fitting price point for a veteran back with legitimate injury concerns and a dramatically eroded market value, yet the modest commitment also insulates Dallas from significant downside risk if his recovery falters. His 2025 season output of 30 receiving yards across just four games before season-ending knee surgery confirms that Sanders was already functioning as a replacement-level contributor long before the injury became the defining issue; a Contract Value Index grade of B reflects that reality—the deal is cheap enough to protect the team's capital, but it's not cheap enough to overlook the real production questions that preceded the surgery. At 29 with seven seasons under his belt, Sanders is at an age where a veteran back's window for productive NFL work is genuinely closing, and the Cowboys' recent offensive additions—headlined by George Pickens and several other skill-position signings—signal a franchise that has moved on from him in all meaningful respects. Media consensus is uniformly bleak: without a convincing recovery demonstration in training camp, the prevailing narrative is that Sanders faces an uphill battle simply to remain on an NFL roster, and his quiet free agency, marked by virtually no suitor interest, has done nothing to rehabilitate that perception. The one-year structure provides Dallas the flexibility to walk away cleanly if his knee recovery proves incomplete, making this a low-risk, low-reward transaction for a club simply testing whether a once-productive Eagles starter can still contribute at the margins.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Miles's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Miles Sanders is a seven-year veteran back for Dallas who brings proven NFL experience but has hit a significant production wall. The 29-year-old once carried meaningful workload responsibility early in his career but has seen both his role and efficiency decline sharply over the past two seasons. Currently earning a B-minus grade, Sanders represents a complementary back whose best days appear behind him rather than an immediate impact contributor. This season, Sanders is averaging 3.73 yards per carry against an NFL average of 4.11, ranking him squarely in the middle of the league despite elite backs posting 6.49 yards per attempt. His 18.6 rushing yards per game trails the NFL average of 22.39 significantly, and he's generating just 0.18 touchdowns per game compared to the league average of 0.29. The efficiency metrics reveal a back who isn't breaking free downfield and whose limited touches translate to minimal scoring upside, a concerning trend worsening since his C-minus current season follows a D-rated 2024 campaign. Sanders' trajectory suggests diminishing value in Dallas's system and at his age. He'll need to demonstrate renewed explosiveness and earn increased snaps to reverse the downward trend. Monitor his offseason conditioning and whether the Cowboys commit meaningful touches to him, as continued decline likely signals the end of his tenure as anything more than a depth piece moving forward.

How Miles Compares at the Position

Miles Sanders ranks 42nd of 176 graded running backs by performance. That slots Miles between Rico Dowdle (B) just ahead and Jordan Mason (B-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Miles Sanders enters 2026 as a journeyman depth running back with limited star power—seven years in the league have yielded no Pro Bowl selections or All-Pro honors, and his $1.3M contract reflects his role-player status. Recent headlines reveal a player caught between opportunity and decline: while the Raiders and other AFC teams showed interest in his services, the Cowboys' deliberate avoidance of a reunion signals organizational skepticism about his remaining value. Injury concerns loom large in the narrative, with reports that health issues cut short his 2025 season, raising durability questions heading into 2026. Media coverage leans cautiously negative, emphasizing his age and injury history rather than celebrating potential resurgence, reflecting documented negativity bias in sports journalism. Overall, Sanders is perceived as a veteran backup fighting for relevance rather than a contributor expected to move the needle for any contending team.