Klint Kubiak has made it quite clear that Ashton Jeanty will be the workhorse running back for the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2026 NFL season. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. should factor in as well, but it'll be Jeanty's show in what is a very young Las Vegas running back room.
Raheem Mostert was a solid performer and good veteran presence for Jeanty as a rookie, but the Silver and Black did not bring him back in free agency, and he remains unsigned. Earlier this offseason, the Raiders hosted Najee Harris for a visit as well, but the injured vet left without a deal.
So, it seemed like Kubiak and John Spytek were fine rolling into the season with third-year pro Dylan Laube being the room's elder statesman. However, Las Vegas could soon go back on that and shake up the running back depth chart if their latest workout materializes into a signing.
Las Vegas Raiders reportedly work out veteran RB Miles Sanders
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Raiders hosted Miles Sanders for a workout on Monday. He noted that Sanders is a free agent who is now cleared from a knee injury that shortened his 2025 campaign with the Dallas Cowboys to just four games.
Sanders, if folks remember, was a second-round pick in 2019 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Over four years there, he amassed 3,708 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 942 yards and 3 touchdowns on 124 catches through the air.
Raiders executives Anthony Patch (Senior Personnel Executive) and Brandon Hunt (VP Player Personnel) were with Sanders in Philly. Patch was the Eagles' senior director of college scouting when they drafted him, and Hunt was the director of scouting for Sanders' last year there in 2022.
Obviously, there is some familiarity there.
But Sanders has lost his explosiveness and hasn't been the same player since he peaked as a Pro Bowler in 2022 with 1,347 all-purpose yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. After signing a big contract with the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2023 NFL season, Sanders disappointed in two years there.
After an injury cut his 2024 campaign short, he signed with the Cowboys before the 2025 season on a one-year deal. He had a crucial fumble in the season-opening loss to the Eagles, and played in just four games before sustaining an injury that put him on the shelf for the rest of the year.
Sanders does have a lot of NFL experience under his belt, and he was Dallas' No. 2 running back last season over promising rookie Jaydon Blue. It is very possible that he still has some gas in the tank, but at the very least, he could be a great veteran presence for a young Raiders running back room.
His arrival just before training camp, however, would shake things up quite a bit. Nobody is touching Jeanty as the biggest mouth to feed, but could Sanders complicate things for Washington Jr.? Could he nudge Laube or fan favorite UDFA Roman Hemby off the team? Would he change the overall math?
These are questions that the Raiders' brass are surely answering as we speak. Veterans report to training camp on Tuesday, July 28, so maybe Las Vegas is keeping Sanders in its back pocket, just in case the running back corps doesn't look as strong as it is expected to when the pads come on.
To sign Sanders, the Silver and Black would have to release another player, and it would be interesting to see that domino fall. This is all a great reminder that Spytek and Kubiak will be constantly tinkering with the roster until they find the right recipe. Maybe Sanders is a key ingredient.
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