The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a critical offseason, as they fired Dirk Koetter, made a big splash by replacing him with Bruce Arians.
They're giving Jameis Winston one more year to prove he's their franchise quarterback, and if he doesn't pan out this year the team might move on.
But the most important position for them to address this offseason is running back.
The Buccaneers haven't had a consistent rushing attack in years, and their backfield was a mess last year. They drafted Ronald Jones out of USC in the second round, but he barely played as a rookie and is looking like a bust.
Tampa Bay needs to add a running back this offseason, and rather than invest another valuable draft asset in one, they should sign one in free agency.
The running back that makes the most sense for them is Mark Ingram. Ingram has been a vital part of the Saints' offense for the past eight seasons, and is now an unrestricted free agent.
With New Orleans wishing to go more with Alvin Kamara, Ingram should be available on the open market.
Ingram might be 29 now, but he doesn't look like it. Splitting time in various committee backfields with the Saints has prevented him from putting too much tread on his tires. He doesn't have the same amount of carries as you'd expect from a 29-year-old running back, and he still has really fresh legs.
Ingram was suspended for the first four games of last year and had a bit of a down season by his lofty standards, so he can probably be had for pretty cheap without the Bucs using up too much of their cap space on him. He's seen a lot in the league, and could serve as a good mentor for Jones, who clearly isn't ready to carry the load on offense.
If you add Ingram to an already very talented Buccaneers offense, they might have the most loaded skill position group in the league.
He'd make life a lot easier for Winston, as Winston has hardly ever had a consistent running game supporting him since entering the league.
Ingram has always been an efficient runner, and has averaged at least 4.6 yards per carry each of the last four seasons. The last time he played a full 16 games, in 2017, he rushed for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. He'd be a significant upgrade over Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay's starter last year.
If general manager Jason Licht is serious about contending in the NFC South next year, he should do all he can to poach Ingram from his division rival.
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