This is exactly the kind of problem the Cowboys should want.

After releasing Ezekiel Elliott in December and letting Rico Dowdle leave in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys have a completely remade backfield entering Brian Schottenheimer’s first year as head coach.

Many expect fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue to establish himself as RB1 at some point during his rookie year. Blue is comfortably the most explosive back on the roster, but look for Schottenheimer to lean on his veterans while the former Longhorn learns the ropes.

While Javonte Williams is projected to open as the starter and has looked good at OTAs, it was actually Miles Sanders who stood out in the most recent practice that was open to the media.

Cowboys running back Miles Sanders standing out at OTAs

While Williams got the initial reps with the first-team offense and looks to have rediscovered some juice three years removed from a major knee injury, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram circled Sanders as a player worthy of praise.

“Alongside Williams, Sanders saw a healthy amount of burn with the first-team unit today. He hauled in two receptions on a screen and a swing pass from Dak Prescott, and he turned a busted inside run into a sizable gain after he bounced it to the edge,” Harris writes.

“When considering his six seasons in the NFL, Sanders could have the excuse of looking a little weathered with his running style, but that isn’t the case. He showed off a spring in his step and runs fluidly for his mileage of over 1,000 career touches.”

Yes, it is only OTAs. Player performance should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, it speaks volumes a reporter as objective as Harris notice Sanders has a spring in his step.

A former second-round pick of the Eagles, Sanders is clearly out to prove something following an objectively brutal tenure with the Panthers.

He averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in two seasons and lost his starting job to Chuba Hubbard, who tallied 4.8 YPC in the same offense last year.

That downward trajectory has many leaving Sanders off the Cowboys’ 53-man roster. That is under the assumption that Dallas keeps Williams, Blue, seventh-round pick Phil Mafah and fullback Hunter Lupeke. But it might not be that straightforward.

Sanders still has a lot to prove, but it is important to remember he was a highly efficient runner on an Eagles team that made the Super Bowl in 2022. He rushed for 1269 yards and 11 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per attempt that season.

The Cowboys might be Super Bowl bound themselves if they get that production out of Sanders this season. In all seriousness, though, it sounds like fans and reporters were a little premature to write him off as an afterthought.