It’s fine to make some judgements about the Denver Broncos offense after 8 games. We know Bo Nix is getting better every week but we still haven’t seen an elite upside. We know Courtland Sutton isn’t an elite wide receiver, despite insisting to be paid like one.
We know the Broncos don’t have a single running back on the roster who can change a game.
Despite all that, Denver is 5-3 and firmly in the playoff hunt. So making a reasonable move to try and bring in some help on the offensive side of the ball makes sense.
One of those reasonable moves might be trading for Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders, who ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler thinks could be up for grabs if a team makes a decent offer. For the Broncos that might mean committing to take on $2 million of the approximately $4 million guaranteed remaining on the 4-year, $25 million contract he signed in March 2023 and tossing in a seventh round draft pick that could turn into a sixth round pick if Sanders and the Broncos make it to the playoffs.
Sanders has been replaced as the starter by Chubba Hubbard for the 1-7 Panthers, who stand alone as the worst team in the NFL. They’re also shedding assets like M.C. Hammer in the early 1990s, having already traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a sixth round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a conditional fifth round pick.
The Panthers also seem ready to bring rookie running back Jonathan Brooks into the fold after they spent a second round pick on him in the 2024 NFL draft and he’s recovered from an ACL injury in 2023.
“My sense in talking to teams is that the Panthers want to keep Hubbard in the fold but are flexible on Sanders, who has 163 carries since signing a four-year, $25.4 million contract with Carolina in 2023 free agency,” Fowler wrote. “The rest of his $4.02 million salary is guaranteed, so Carolina might have to come out of pocket to facilitate a deal. The running back trade market just hasn’t picked up the way receiver has.”
Sanders Was Elite NFL Running Back With Eagles
Sanders was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Penn State in the second round (No. 53 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft and had 1,327 yards of total offense as a rookie. He followed that with 1,976 yards of total offense over the next 2 seasons despite missing 9 games due to injuries.
Sanders put it all together in 2022 as the Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, with career highs of 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns as he made the Pro Bowl for the first time. He also played in all 17 games. That translated to his big payday with the Panthers.
“… it still feels as if Denver’s offense is missing something,” Fowler wrote. “It wouldn’t shock to see the Broncos comb the market for a pass-catching running back. Coach Sean Payton has always coveted those change-of-pace backs, which harks back to the Darren Sproles days.”
Broncos’ 1,000-Yard Drought Continues to Roll On
Barring some type of career-defining stretch over the final part of the 2024 regular season from either leading receiver Sutton (377 receiving yards) or leading rusher Javonte Williams (345 rushing yards), the Broncos’ streak of not having a player pass 1,000 yards rushing or receiving since 2019 will almost certainly continue on for another year.
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