The Carolina Panthers' run game has been often stuck in neutral since they traded superstar Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. General manager Dan Morgan went out of his way to change that this offseason when he used the team's second-round draft pick on the number one running back prospect in the class of 2024.
That would be Jonathon Brooks out of Texas, who is the clear future of Carolina's backfield. Brooks won't join the lineup until Week 3 or 4 according to head coach Dave Canales, but once he does it's only a matter of time before he becomes the starter and lead rusher at running back. That means every other back on the roster will become expendable and we might see one get traded.
According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, the Panthers could try to shop Miles Sanders at the NFL trade deadline (this year it comes after Week 9).
"The decision to draft Brooks in Round 2 in April just reaffirms Sanders' time with the organization is short. The Panthers could cut the 27-year-old before Week 1 and accept they'll be on the hook for what he's owed (minus potential offsets in his contract), but they'll likely be interested if another team calls them and is willing to send anything to acquire him. They will still be eating most of the $4 million base salary that is left to pay him, but even a conditional seventh-round pick and a few hundred thousand dollars in savings would be a pleasant surprise."
Getting anything for Sanders would be a pleasant surprise, indeed.
While it would do more damage to their depth at running back, they could probably get a much better return if they traded Chuba Hubbard, who's entering the final year of his rookie contract.
