Report: Miles Sanders injury could keep Eagles running back out for multiple games

The latest news on Philadelphia’s top RB.

Eagles running back Miles Sanders is expected to miss two-to-three weeks with an injured ankle, according to a report from Derrick Gunn.

Sanders got hurt on his seventh offensive touch during the Eagles’ Week 7 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The broadcast showed him being carted off the field with a towel over his head and a frustrated look on his face.

The good news here is that Sanders didn’t suffer a season-ending injury. He might even be able to avoid going on injured reserve if he’s truly only going to miss two games.

The bad news is that the Eagles will be without their best running back for multiple matchups. Just when it looked like Nick Sirianni finally might stop under-utilizing Sanders, too.

With Sanders expected to miss time, the Eagles are down to two healthy running backs on their 53-man roster: Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. The latter has barely played this year and only saw his first offensive touches after Sanders went down. Despite this, Scott actually led the Eagles in carries with seven. He also had one reception on two targets.

Scott and Gainwell could continue to split playing time going forward. The former is the favorite to see more carries while the latter could see more targets. Of course, the Eagles could and likely will look to elevate Jordan Howard from the practice squad to add him to the running back rotation.

While Howard provides some short-term competency, he hardly boasts long-term upside. The latter is arguably more valuable in what’s looking like a lost season. There’s an argument that the Eagles should look to elevate Jason Huntley, who shined in training camp, instead. He showed flashes of being a home run threat in addition to likely being the team’s most threatening kick return option. But Huntley might be viewed as more of a change of pace back than a volume runner like Howard. Howard also probably offers more in pass protection.

We’ve still yet to hear word from the Eagles on Sanders’ outlook. Nick Sirianni will likely be asked about his status when he talks to reporters around 4:45 PM Eastern on Monday afternoon. Stay tuned to BGN for more updates.