Official: Panthers Place Miles Sanders on Injured Reserve
It’s been a steep fall from grace for Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders. In March 2023, he signed a four-year, $25M contract with Carolina; in that time, he fell to third on the depth chart. The Panthers placed Sanders on injured reserve after he was carted off after injuring his ankle two weeks ago during the team’s 20-17 overtime win over the New York Giants, per an official team announcement.
In Sanders’ absence, the Panthers will finally kick the tires on rookie RB Jonathon Brooks, who will make his season debut against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Head coach Dave Canales talked up Carolina’s second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of the University of Texas.
“Jonathon Brooks ‘absolutely’ is playing Sunday. He had a great week. He’s been involved with the plan, and he looks confident. He was running hard, he was making cuts, you know, kind of starting to develop the second level part of his runs, which is what I wanted to see. I wanted to see him hit the hole, go through it, see the finish and all that. So, I’m excited to get him out there this week.”
While Brooks will be involved, the Panthers’ backfield belongs to Chuba Hubbard this year. The 25-year-old back averages 81.8 rushing yards per game, the sixth-most in the NFL.
