Miles Sanders

Eagles Finalize 53-Man Roster

August 30th, 2022 at 10:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Eagles reached the 53-man limit Tuesday:

Released:

The Eagles added two veteran receivers this offseason, with one of them (A.J. Brown) bumping Jalen Reagor down the depth chart. Zach Pascal, who has played for Nick Sirianni previously (in Indianapolis), may also be a factor. But the Eagles, despite their moves at receiver and offseason trade rumors that engulfed Reagor, still have the 2020 first-round pick rostered. The TCU product is also coming off a solid preseason.

Howie Roseman said the Eagles, who have two QBs on their active roster, are planning to add a third — either a practice squad arm or a legit third-stringer — soon, and The Athletic’s Zach Berman and Bo Wulf note running back remains on the radar. The team kept three — Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell — but Sanders has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Philadelphia’s receiver setup and a long football layoff did not leave much room for Allen, who has a rather notable career on which to fall back. A two-time U.S. Olympian in the 110-meter hurdles, Allen came to Eagles training camp after a controversial false-start infraction denied the medal favorite the opportunity to vie for gold on his home track at the World Track and Field Championships. The Oregon alum, whose 12.84-second time at a meet this summer is the third-fastest clocking ever in the 110 hurdles, caught a deep touchdown during the preseason but may well move back to his primary sport soon.

Ward became needed during the Eagles’ injury-plagued receiver seasons of 2019 and ’20; he caught 53 passes in the latter campaign. The ex-college QB was not used as much last season, catching seven balls in 17 games. The Eagles kept three rookie UDFAs (cornerback Josh Jobe, safety Reed Blankenship and offensive lineman Josh Sills).

Eagles’ Miles Sanders Active For WC Game

January 14th, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles learned they will have a key piece to their offense back when they look to upset the defending champions on Sunday. Starting running back Miles Sanders will be active for the team’s Wild Card game against the Buccaneers (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Zach Berman).

When speaking to the media, head coach Nick Sirianni said “No limitations for Miles. He’ll be our guy”, clearing the way for the 24-year-old to potentially carry a starter’s workload. Sanders has been out of the lineup since suffering a broken bone in his hand in Week 16. That put an end to what had been a productive third season in the NFL. In 12 games, Sanders totalled 754 rushing yards on 137 carries, along with 26 catches for 158 yards. While he failed to find the endzone, his 5.5 yards per carry were a career high, and he seemed to be on his way to a third consecutive 100-plus yard rushing performance prior to the injury.

Sanders hasn’t been the only piece in the Eagles’ league-leading rushing attack, of course. The team has gotten contributions from fifth-round rookie Kenneth Gainwell (544 scrimmage yards, six total touchdowns), along with veterans Boston Scott (456 and seven) and Jordan Howard (425 and three). Four running backs with over 400 total yards each is impressive enough, but that stat doesn’t even include the team’s leading rusher, quarterback Jalen Hurts, with 784 yards.

The Eagles will bring a full running back committee to Tampa Bay, hoping to continue its midseason transformation as a ground-and-pound team to pull off an upset.

Latest On Eagles’ Miles Sanders

December 27th, 2021 at 2:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed that running back Miles Sanders broke a bone in his hand yesterday (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). That’ll rule him out for this week’s game against Washington, but there’s hope that he’ll be able to return sometime after that.

The Eagles cruised to a 34-10 win over the Giants yesterday, thanks in part to an efficient showing from Sanders. Before his early exit, the 24-year-old tallied 45 yards off of just seven carries. And, just last week against WFT, Sanders amassed 131 yards off of 18 totes. Through 12 games, Sanders has averaged 5.5 yards per carry, the highest mark of his young career.

At 8-7, the Eagles control their own destiny. They can clinch their playoff spot with wins over Washington and Dallas, but it’ll be a little tougher without Sanders. In the interim, they’ll lean on rookie Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Jordan Howard to keep the chains moving. Howard was also taken out of yesterday’s game with a stinger, but Sirianni says he could be cleared to play before Sunday afternoon.

Eagles To Activate RB Miles Sanders From IR

November 20th, 2021 at 2:16pm CST by Ben Levine

SATURDAY: Philadelphia will have its starting running back available Sunday, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting the veteran running back is off IR and back on the active roster. The Eagles have seen Howard and Scott fare well in Sanders’ absence, forming a three-pronged rushing attack with Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni said Sanders will return to his role as Philly’s starter (via ESPN.com’s Tim McManus, on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: Miles Sanders is back at practice. The Eagles running back was designated to return from IR today, according to the team (on Twitter). Sanders’ 21-day practice clock now starts, meaning the RB should be back by Week 15 (following Philly’s bye) at the latest.

Sanders landed on injured reserve in late October with a knee injury. The team initially thought their starting RB might be able to avoid IR, and it sounds like they’re optimistic that he’ll return when first eligible. That would be this weekend against the Saints.

So far this year, Sanders has amassed 300 rushing yards off of 63 totes, good for a 4.8 yards per carry average. He also has 19 grabs for 118 yards, though he’s yet to find paydirt via the air or the ground. The 24-year-old has amassed 1,985 rushing yards since making his debut in 2019. In 2020, he finished out with a career-high 5.3 ypc and a total of 867 rushing yards despite missing four regular season games.

With Sanders out of the lineup, Jordan Howard and Boston Scott have garnered the majority of the carries, with Kenneth Gainwell also seeing a minor role.

Eagles Place Miles Sanders On IR

October 29th, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are placing Miles Sanders on injured reserve with an ankle injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Sanders will miss the Birds’ next three games, at minimum, but the hope is that he’ll return soon after he’s eligible to do so.

Sanders was forced out of Sunday’s 33-22 loss to the Raiders and his ankle hasn’t responded to treatment much over the past week. Now, he’ll be shelved for the next few games against the Lions, Chargers, and Broncos, with a chance to return on Nov. 21 when the Eagles host the Saints.

So far this year, Sanders has amassed 300 rushing yards off of 63 totes, good for a 4.8 yards per carry average. He also has 19 grabs for 118 yards, though he’s yet to find paydirt via the air or the ground.

Sanders, 24, has amassed 1,985 rushing yards since making his debut in 2019. In 2020, he finished out with a career-high 5.3 ypc and a total of 867 rushing yards despite missing four regular season games.

The Eagles are now left with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott as the only running backs on the 53-man roster. That could open the door for veteran Jordan Howard, who currently resides on the Eagles’ taxi squad.

Injury Updates: T. Brown, Garoppolo, Clowney

November 8th, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s round up a few injury-related items from around the league.

Raiders OT Trent Brown is back on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Brown is expected to miss at least a month of action (Twitter link).
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms a report from several days ago that 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo will not require surgery on his injured ankle, but the 29-year-old signal-caller is expected to miss at least a month (Twitter link). The injury further clouds Garoppolo’s uncertain future in San Francisco.
Titans edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is out for today’s game against the Bears. He is dealing with a meniscus issue and may ultimately opt for surgery.
The Browns have a bye this week, and next time they’re on the field, they hope to be rejoined by Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb (Twitter link via Rapoport). Chubb has been dealing with an MCL injury, and though Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson have played reasonably well in his absence, getting Chubb back will be a big boost to Cleveland’s playoff push.
Some may be wondering if WR Odell Beckham has already played his last game for the Browns, as he will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear and has never really embraced Cleveland. Kim Jones of WFAN reports that OBJ will undergo surgery to repair the ACL on Tuesday (Twitter link).
Ravens RB Mark Ingram left Baltimore’s game against the Eagles several weeks ago, and he still has not returned to action. Rapoport says Ingram is dealing with a high-ankle sprain (Twitter link), which explains the multi-week absence. Ingram has been ruled out for today’s game against the Colts, but younger backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins may be the better options anyway.
When the Eagles return to their facility following this week’s bye, they expect to have RB Miles Sanders back, and they believe WR Alshon Jeffery will be a full participant in practice (Twitter link via Rapoport).

Eagles Place LB Nathan Gerry On IR

October 30th, 2020 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Eagles are nearly double-digit favorites against the Cowboys on Sunday night, they continue to absorb injury-related setbacks. Philly will be without its top tackler for at least three games.

The Eagles placed linebacker Nathan Gerry on IR Friday, while also moving rotational defensive end Genard Avery to the injured list.

An Achilles injury will sideline Gerry, who has a 12-tackle lead among Eagles this season. Gerry has 57 stops (four for loss) and one sack this season — his second as an Eagles starting linebacker. The former safety has dealt with this Achilles problem for a bit now, and the Eagles are hoping a three-week rest will have him fresher for the stretch run, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The Eagles released Nigel Bradham this offseason and did not make notable linebacker investments. Among linebackers, Duke Riley‘s 28 tackles rank second on Philadelphia’s roster.

Philly will also be without Miles Sanders for a second straight week, while Alshon Jeffery‘s 2020 debut will not happen this week. Lane Johnson, however, will not miss any time with his knee injury. He is good to go, giving the Eagles two first-string offensive linemen against the Cowboys.

Eagles’ Miles Sanders Out 1-2 Weeks, Zach Ertz 3-4

October 19th, 2020 at 12:55pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just when it looked like the Eagles might finally be getting some guys, like DeSean Jackson, back from injury, they lose a handful more. Running back Miles Sanders is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with his knee injury, while tight end Zach Ertz will miss 3-4 with a high ankle sprain, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The hits didn’t stop there, as Mortensen noted in a follow-up tweet that defensive lineman Malik Jackson and offensive tackle Jack Driscoll are both looking at potential two-week absences. The injuries couldn’t come at a worse time for Philly, as they’re now 1-4-1 on the year and preparing for a divisional game against the Giants on Thursday Night Football.

Sanders has been one of the few bright spots on the team this season, and he had 118 yards on only nine carries before going down against Baltimore. Ertz’s injury is brutal since fellow tight end Dallas Goedert is already on injured reserve with an ankle injury of his own. Philly entered the year with a two-headed monster at tight end, and now both are on the shelf.

That being said Goedert is eligible to return as soon as this week, and if he’s able to go against the Giants that would be huge. Ertz hasn’t been putting up the numbers we’re used to seeing from him, and he’s reportedly very frustrated about his contract situation.

Jackson is a starter on defense, so that’s a big loss as well. Driscoll is a fourth-round rookie who found himself starting at right tackle on Sunday after an injury to Lane Johnson. The Eagles were already thin at tackle after the season-ending injury to Andre Dillard in August, and if Johnson isn’t ready to return the situation is going to get dire. It’s just been that type of season for Philadelphia.

NFC East Rumors: Rivera, Sanders, Cowboys

August 25th, 2020 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera announced last week he is battling lymph node cancer. The new Washington HC will attempt to coach the team through his treatment process, though Jack Del Rio is in place as the emergency fill-in. Rivera will undergo a mixture of chemotherapy and proton therapy, and John Keim of ESPN.com notes the veteran coach’s treatment schedule will feature five per week over a seven-week period. Upon hiring Del Rio, Rivera prioritized having someone with head coaching experience on his staff — which he did not have in Carolina. Del Rio served as an acting head coach for part of the 2013 season, leading the Broncos while John Fox recovered from heart surgery.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

Gerald McCoy‘s Cowboys tenure may not be over. Despite the organization taking advantage of the injury protection it included in the Pro Bowl defensive tackle’s contract, and releasing him months after he signed the three-year deal, McCoy would like to play for the Cowboys in 2021, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets. The 10-year veteran indicated he will help the younger defensive linemen still on this year’s Cowboys roster, Ed Werder of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter). McCoy underwent successful quadriceps surgery last week, per Watkins.
A key component in the fantasy drafts taking place worldwide this week, Miles Sanders is currently not practicing with the Eagles. And the team has been vague as to why. Philadelphia’s starting running back is dealing with a “lower-body injury,” according to the team. However, the second-year back is expected to be ready to play by Week 1, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes. Having lost Jordan Howard in free agency and seeing the Seahawks sign one of their UFA targets, Carlos Hyde, the Eagles are set to rely on Sanders more than they did last season. The Eagles were also interested in Devonta Freeman, and while the ex-Falcons Pro Bowler remains available, the team is going with Boston Scott and Corey Clement as its backup backs at this point.
Graham Gano‘s Giants deal is worth up to $2.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Giants guaranteed their new kicker $1MM. This is more money than the team gave Chandler Catanzaro, whose Giants stay lasted barely three weeks. Gano has 10 years’ experience, though he missed all of last season with a knee injury.

Extra Points: Coaches, Bears, Bell, Tomlin

November 3rd, 2019 at 8:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

About halfway through the 2019 NFL season, one head coach has already been fired (Jay Gruden), and several more are on the hot seat. With that in mind people’s attentions are starting to turn to the next crop of head coaches, and it should be a pretty busy carousel this offseason. The league has begun their annual process of internally identifying top head coach and general manager candidates, and a committee will meet again in Week 11 to come up with a list, sources told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. La Canfora notes that Stanford coach David Shaw has been “receiving ringing endorsements and has very strong support within the league,” although he has rebuffed NFL advances in the past.

La Canfora also highlights several current NFL assistant coaches who have already talked about heavily. Interestingly, he identifies some potential new general manager candidates who we haven’t heard as much about. La Canfora writes that there is “heavy support” for fired Giants GM Jerry Reese to receive another job. “Former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and former Lions GM Martin Mayhew are also generating support from the committee,” La Canfora writes. He also throws out ESPN analyst Louis Riddick as someone who is highly regarded, and we’ve heard those same rumblings before.

Here’s more from around the league:

Miles Sanders has played a big role for the Eagles this season, and he racked up 73 yards in their win over the Bears on Sunday. Apparently, as the rookie revealed to the media earlier this week, he almost ended up in Chicago. “I thought I was going to end up there,” Sanders said of the Bears, who didn’t have a pick in April’s draft until the third round, via Zach Berman of The Athletic. “They knew I was probably going to be gone before the third round, but they were also talking about trading up to get me,” he said. The Penn State product was the second running back taken in the draft, and the Bears ended up nabbing David Montgomery in the third round. Sanders has been a part of a timeshare backfield with Jordan Howard so far.
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell surprised everybody by saying the Steelers called about trading for him at the deadline, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed they did. Not so fast says Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who replied “not to my knowledge, no,” when asked if the Steelers tried to acquire Bell, per Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s possible the truth lies somewhere in between, and the most likely scenario is that the Steelers made an exploratory phone call but never got at all serious about it. Bell coming back to the city he started his career in would’ve at least made a dull trade deadline a lot more interesting.
In case you missed it, the Seahawks apparently thought about adding Antonio Brown before claiming Josh Gordon off waivers.

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR: