Raiders Should Trade for $25.4 Million Running Back

   

The Las Vegas Raiders offense finds itself at a bit of a crossroads as the 2024 NFL season looms.

Las Vegas Raiders Antonio Pierce Alex Bachman
Nov 12, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce enters the field for warm up against the New York Jets at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

After failing to select a quarterback at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft, Gardner Minshew is the presumptive Week 1 starter, guiding an offense that lacks truly elite firepower with the exception of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.

Zamir White is slated to open the season atop the depth chart at running back, but, if the Raiders are serious about making a legitimate challenge to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, this could be a position worth upgrading on the trade market this summer.

Las Vegas Raiders Should Trade for Miles Sanders

Jan 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (6) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (6) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Former Philadelphia Eagles second-round draft choice, and current Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders could be an ideal fit for the Raiders’ offense.

Sanders and the Panthers agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $25.4 million following the 2022 season, but Carolina could already be looking to unload the 27-year-old ahead of the upcoming 2024 campaign.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put together a list of players each team across the NFL should look to trade, including Sanders as the Panthers’ selection.

“We are talking about a player who in 2022 posted the first 1,000-yard season by an Eagles running back,” Davenport writes for B/R. “Since LeSean McCoy in 2014. Prior to last season, Sanders had never averaged fewer than 4.6 yards per carry in a season.

“That productivity and experience could have appeal to teams who lack depth in the backfield and/or suffer an injury in the backfield in training camp. And frankly, a rebuilding Panthers team could use additional draft capital more than a $6 million running back holding down the bench with his backside.”

Through his first 73 career games, Sanders has logged 868 carries for 4,140 yards and 21 touchdowns, while averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and has added 216 receptions for 1,096 yards and three more scores.

Sanders would be a fascinating fit because of his big-game experience, and the fact that he’s an equally impactful threat as a runner as he is a receiver out of the backfield.

Carolina Panthers, Miles Sanders