Miles Sanders activated ahead of Eagles vs. Saints game

Philadelphia’s top running back is no longer on injured reserve.

The Philadelphia Eagles activated Miles Sanders from injured reserve and returned him to their 53-man roster, according to an official announcement from the team. Sanders is now eligible to play in Philly’s Week 11 game against the New Orleans Saints.

Sanders missed the Eagles’ last three games due to suffering an ankle injury against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was poor timing for him with Nick Sirianni suddenly showing a deeper commitment to running the football. Jordan Howard and Boston Scott both benefited in Sanders’ absence, with each player raising their yards per carry figure to 5.1.

With Sanders back, it’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles split their backfield touches. Sirianni stated Sanders is still their top running back but it’s hard to imagine Howard won’t be involved at all given his recent success. Scott has also made his case for playing time, though he might be the odd man out anyway. Kenneth Gainwell could still have a role as a pass-catching threat.

Sanders’ return comes at an interesting time. The Eagles have a big game with potential playoff implications ahead of them. The pressure is on for him to perform and it won’t necessarily be easy considering he’s taking on the league’s top-ranked rush defense. Then again, the Saints’ proficiency at stopping the run didn’t limit Sanders when the Saints came to Philly last season.

In order to free up a roster spot for Sanders, the team placed rookie guard Jack Anderson on injured reserve.