The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, made the splash of the spring by signing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady to a two-year deal this past offseason. Additionally, the Bucs brought over un-retired star tight end Rob Gronkowski via a trade with the pair's former New England Patriots.
What is still needed to be addressed by the Buccaneers, however, is the running back position—something, if enhanced, could tweak the offensive workload pressured on Brady's shoulders at the current moment.
Running back situation
The Buccaneers came away with two running back selections in the 2020 NFL Draft last April, taking Vanderbilt's Ke'Shawn Vaughn in the third round and Louisiana-Lafayette's Raymond Calais in the seventh round. All together, Tampa Bay's running back room also includes rising third-year rusher Ronald Jones, fourth-year T.J. Logan, and journeyman Dare Ogunbowale.
At this time, the offense flows through Brady, no doubt, but there is little optimism in the ceiling of the running game. Jones, who turns 23 before the start of the 2020 season, is a serviceable starter, rushing for 724 yards on 172 carries and scoring six touchdowns in his sophomore campaign in 2019 (on another Tampa Bay team that was clearly pass-first). Beyond Jones, it's difficult to envision many contributions, however.
The primary reason for skepticism in the Buccaneers' running game is how head coach Bruce Arians' offense schemes and stays afloat with Brady under center. Yes, Brady is elite, but there is reason to believe he is regressing hard, and who knows how he will perform finally divorced from Bill Belichick and New England's operations. The Buccaneers need a consistent run game along with Brady's arm to balance several means of attack on that end of the field.
Brady's top receiving targets are the acclaimed Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to go along with the recently returned Gronkowski. Those three, plus tight end O.J. Howard, are expected to total great seasons in terms of receiving yards and touchdowns via Brady if all goes right. But the elite teams in the NFL succeed on offense not solely because of passing but because they can diversify and keep opposing defenses on their heels, mixing in the ground game. (RPO is one of the latest fads sweeping the league now, is it even remotely possible to envision Brady running it with Jones or Logan?)
Reality is setting in for Brady, the Buccaneers, and the franchise's offseason, which was the talk of the league this spring due to a few moves. Former Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, a two-time Pro Bowler, is a free agent, so perhaps connecting with Tampa Bay makes sense for both parties. Regardless, the Buccaneers need to address their running game in order to prove their competitiveness in 2020.
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