The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten a pleasantly surprising amount of production from veteran running back Kareem Hunt in the wake of Isiah Pacheco‘s fibula injury. But the team can’t rely on the 29-year-old back to receive 20-plus touches per game moving forward, which is why trading for another back is in the realm of possibility ahead of the November 5 NFL trade deadline.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell concocted a trade proposal for the Chiefs in which they send a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for veteran running back Miles Sanders and a conditional 2025 seventh-round pick.
“Sanders has a higher ceiling than any guy the Chiefs have, and with experience playing under Doug Pederson earlier in his career, he should have a bit of a handle on Andy Reid’s offense,” Barnwell wrote on October 17. “Once Pacheco returns, Sanders could play in the Jerick McKinnon role as a change-of-pace back. The Chiefs would make this pick swap only with the Panthers if Sanders plays one offensive snap for them in the postseason, leaving this as a relatively risk-free deal.”
What to Know About Miles Sanders
Sanders, 27, entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019. As the second-highest RB drafted that year — only behind Josh Jacobs — Sanders recorded just one 1,000-yard season with the Eagles, which was during the 2022 season, his final season in Philadelphia.
Over Sanders’ four years with the Eagles, he registered 3,708 yards on 739 carries — 5.0 yards per carry — and 20 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference.
During the 2023 offseason, Sanders signed a four-year, $25.4 million deal with the Panthers to be Carolina’s lead back. But poor play from Sanders and better play from backup Chuba Hubbard during the 2023 and 2024 seasons have pushed Sanders into a reserve role with the Panthers. Jonathon Brooks, the Panthers’ rookie second-round pick, is nearing his NFL debut as well, which means Sanders will be Carolina’s RB3 very soon.
Cutting Sanders would save the Panthers just $200,000 this season but $12.2 million over the next two seasons, per Over The Cap. Trading him could potentially give Carolina some draft capital in exchange for a player who has been seldom used this season.
Does Miles Sanders Makes Sense for Chiefs
As a veteran that could be had for a Day 3 draft pick, Sanders would fit well with the Chiefs, who need a reliable rotational piece to split the workload with Hunt.
Though the Chiefs will soon have Clyde Edwards-Helaire back in the lineup and still have rookie Carson Steele as well, Sanders could provide a few more spark plays in the run game while also being helpful as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Ultimately, a trade for Sanders would come down to how much of Sanders’ salary the Panthers would be willing to eat. Heading into the season, Sanders had a guaranteed salary of $6.02 million, according to Over The Cap. Per Barnwell, Sanders is still owed approximately $2.7 million of his salary.
As it currently stands, the Chiefs have $4.2 million in cap space, per the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report.
