4 Carolina Panthers players who cannot afford to regress at 2024 camp

Miles Sanders - Carolina Panthers RB

Christian McCaffrey, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Joe Mixon. You might be thinking I’m listing my top five running backs heading into the season. But this is a list of backfield forces who have a lower cap hit than Miles Sanders in 2024.

The sixth-year pro has the fourth-highest cap hit amongst all players at his position this season. That's not in keeping with his performance levels last season. It's also a damning indictment of previous general manager Scott Fitterer's evaluation of Sanders when the free-agent frenzy commences last year.

That’s all fine and dandy for a talented runner whose contributions are invaluable to his squad. But that player is not Sanders - somebody who had more fumbles than touchdowns a season ago.

Sanders has to be better in 2024 to justify the Carolina Panthers' lofty financial commitment. This is especially important to assist in Dave Canales' vision of an established rushing attack in Carolina moving forward.

I haven't even gotten the chance to mention the other tailbacks on the Panthers roster. These options now include second-round selection Jonathan Brooks - a player who will look to potentially step into the starting role as soon as his cleats hit the grass once medically cleared from the torn ACL he suffered during his final college campaign with the Texas Longhorns.

There's also the presence of Chuba Hubbard to factor into the equation. The former fourth-round pick took the bulk of Carolina's offensive workload a season ago after Sanders' rough start to the season. This makes his job even tougher to re-establish himself under the watchful eye of Canales.

If Sanders doesn't make his presence felt in camp, it won't bode well for his career in Carolina. The veteran should make the team, but his usage will plummet unless he returns to the form of old throughout the summer.