Raiders Work Out Veteran Running Back As Camp Opens

The Las Vegas Raiders have worked out veteran running back Miles Sanders today, according to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk that references reporting from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. 

Sanders appears to be a viable candidate for a team like the Raiders, especially as a depth option. The Raiders really don’t have a lot in that department at running back, and Sanders is reportedly fully cleared to play after having surgery to address his knee injury. 

The running back played four games for the Dallas Cowboys last year before he was shut down due to the knee injury. He had 20 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, so there certainly weren’t issues with his yards per carrgy average, and Sanders added eight catches for 30 yards. 

The isssue with Sanders is that he has a lot of mileage going into his age-29 season, which typically doesn’t bode well for a running back. He spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and he started his career with the Philadelphia Eagles for his first four seasons. 

Sanders definitely has a track record. According to Alper, Sanders has 4,462 yards rushing to go with 1,274 receiving yards, and for the Raiders it would certainly be good to have that level of experience in the running back room. 

The Raiders are decidedly thin at running back right now. Ashton Jeanty is expected to have a heavy workload, and the Raiders drafted Mike Washington in the fourth round to help out. Roman Hemby is also a rookie, with Dylan Laube and Chris Collier filling out the depth chart at the moment. 

Working out backs like Sanders is exactly what the Raiders should be doing right now given their current roster situation at the position, and it will be interesting to see if they like him enough to let him get out of the building without signing if they like what they see. There was nothing in Alper’s report or presumably Fowler’s information about what other teams Sanders may have worked out for. 

There are plenty of other backs like Sanders available, however, so this could just be the first step in the Raiders kicking the tires on some possibilities. They definitely need depth, and it feels like just a matter of time until they sign someone. The fact that Sanders is a viable receiver is also a plus given the value of versatility in the offense of new coach Klint Kubiak.