Personal biases make me compelled to say that Silver might have been better if he was like Sans.

Between Sonic & Sans, there's a common root of "It Doesn't Matter". The difference being that Sonic's response is one of immediate action, while Sans' response is doing absolutely nothing.
Sonic says "It doesn't matter now what happens, I will never give up the fight."
Sans says "just give up. i did. why even try? you'll never see 'em again."

Both have a carefree attitude where they just live their lives doing whatever they want in the moment. But Sans' attitude is shaped by giving up, while Sonic never will. However, when the stakes are at their highest, and the world seems doomed for absolute destruction by an eternal lifeform that can not be truly defeated... Sans decides he can't afford not to care anymore, and he becomes the last stand against that demon. The last light of hope in a dark, dying world.

Just like Silver. Exactly like Silver at the very start of '06.
>What's the point of all this? It'll never end!
Silver right after beating Iblis in Crisis City, early in his story. Silver is expressing a sense of futility, that nothing he does matters, because in the end... Iblis will come back, and it'll be the exact same thing all over again.

So Silver at the very start of his story, and Sans at the very end of his story, are basically in the exact same position with the same mindset, and I just find that fascinating. So, I can't help but believe that it might have been far more interesting if Silver was a lot more like Sans, in how he was portrayed and written.

That way, Silver could have an actual dynamic with Sonic. Basically, what if Silver was like a version of Sonic who was at the cusp of giving up entirely, if not having given up already? But when all hope seems lost and the world is at the brink of total annihilation... He is the one who refuses to give up that last bit of hope, and will stop at nothing to make sure that evil will be burning in he