The Dallas Cowboys don’t exactly feel “all-in” this offseason, but at least Jerry Jones has a better plan than a washed-up Ezekiel Elliott to fix the backfield after Rico Dowdle departed in free agency.
First was the signing of Javonte Williams — a high-upside flier on a guy who looked like a future star before injuries slowed him down — and now the Cowboys have inked another low-cost but high-upside rusher while fans were sleeping on Thursday night/Friday morning.
And this one was a Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles just three seasons ago.
Sources: Miles Sanders plans to sign with the #Cowboys on a one-year deal. pic.twitter.com/Jx9jDzKyoP
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 14, 2025
News of Cowboys Signing Miles Sanders Breaks Overnight
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported late Thursday night that the Cowboys and former Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders have agreed to a one-year contract. In doing so he swaps places with Dowdle, who signed on with the Panthers earlier in the day on Thursday.
The Sanders signing may not exactly feel like a huge splash, but even an ardent Jerry Jones doubter shouldn’t hate this one.
A Pro Bowler as recently as 2022, Sanders has certainly shown upside through his career. He rushed for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Eagles’ RB1 that year, and in the 2023 offseason was a hot-ticket free agent. His numbers fell off steeply in Carolina, but the 2023 season was an especially ugly one from the entire Panthers organization.
And while he was buried behind Chuba Hubbard in 2024, we saw a real bounce-back from Sanders. PFF gave him a rushing grade of 76.1 last season — the second-highest mark of his career. That also slightly beat out Dowdle’s 74.4.
Sanders is only 28 years old, so it also reasons that he’s not out of his prime just yet.
Signing him to a long-term deal wouldn’t make much sense, but a one-year “prove it” kind of deal while forming a backfield stable with Williams is easy to like. Sanders has the upside to reemerge as a true RB1, and even if he doesn’t he should at least be a capable run-first piece in a backfield stable.
Plus, this signing means Jerry has less room to decide to re-sign Zeke.
