Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders still absent from OTAs
Miles Sanders is missing out on an opportunity to impress early for the Philadelphia Eagles, the running back still absent from OTAs.
Miles Sanders is viewed as a running back with the potential to have a huge impact as rookie, but his hopes of being the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles right off the bat have been dealt a slight blow.
Sanders remains absent from OTAs due to an undisclosed injury, missing Tuesday’s practice having sat out all of last week and robbing him of the chance to make his case for the starting role in a crowded but largely mediocre backfield.
Still no Miles Sanders at practice. Alshon Jeffery, Lane Johnson, Jason Peters, Malcolm Jenkins remains absent.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) May 28, 2019
Philadelphia has not revealed a timeline for his recovery and Sanders’ absence means Jordan Howard, who the Eagles traded for in the offseason, has a chance to stake his claim as the No. 1 back.
However, Howard is a back with limited pass-catching upside and, with the options beyond him – Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwoord and Josh Adams among them – being largely uninspiring – the Eagles will hope Sanders’ injury does not linger and prevent their second-round pick from presenting his case for being the lead dog.
Durability had not been expected to be an issue for Sanders, who entered the NFL with relatively little tread on the tires after spending most of his career at Penn State backing up Saquon Barkley.
His relatively light workload with the Nittany Lions could still be a significant advantage in helping Sanders hold up to the rigours of being an NFL back long-term. Yet in the short-term conditioning may now well be his focus.
Known for his elusiveness and pass-catching ability, Sanders has the skill set to provide another dimension to the Eagles’ backfield, hence why they spent such a high pick on him. Yet he will not have the chance to prove himself if injuries persist.
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We do not know the specific nature of his problem, but what is obvious is that Sanders must stay on the field to take advantage of an opportunity to be a focal point in the pros after a frustrating college experience.