Miles Sanders Says He Wants to Emulate Christian McCaffrey in Eagles Offense

Miles Sanders is getting ready to enter his second season in the NFL, and he has a new mindset that many running backs across the league may try to adapt: Be more like Christian McCaffrey.   

The Carolina Panthers' do-it-all weapon went over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving last year and earned himself a four-year, $64 million extension to become the highest-paid running back in league history. 

As he prepares for training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders will try to provide a similar option for head coach Doug Pederson's offense. 

"When I look at him, I look at a back that's very hard to stop. I want to be that back," he told ESPN's Tim McManus. "I want to be that back where you think you can stop me in the run game and then, boom, I'm outside in the passing game and I'm rolling up yards for the team. I want to be that back where there's no way you can really slow me down or stop me or take me out of the game because I'm so versatile. That's the type of mentality and the type of player I want to be."

There's no question about Sanders' ability to get involved in the passing game, but he'd have to nearly double his rookie stats to have a shot at being mentioned alongside McCaffrey. 

In 2019, Sanders rushed for 818 yards and three touchdowns on 179 carries while recording 509 yards through the air with another three scores. 

Sanders is setting the bar high for himself regardless. If he's able to clear it, Philadelphia may have its newest superstar in the backfield.