Tampa Bay’s Running game was certainly nothing to write home about in 2017. Before the season started, there was plenty of speculation from the experts and Buccaneers fans about the Doug Martin situation. Martin was suspended for the first four games due to illegal substance abuse. That, in combination of a less than average performance in 2016, lead many people to believe the Buccaneers would part ways with the former first-round pick out of Boise State. Yet, Tampa stuck with Martin. Apparently, Jason Licht had high hopes for him, since the Running Back position was not a priority in free agency or the draft, even with highly praised Dalvin Cook out of Florida State surprisingly still on the board as Tampa made their first selection. The Bucs did pick up Jeremy McNichols in the fifth round, however, but he did not pan out and was cut in training camp.
Consequently, with Martin’s suspension, the Buccaneers started Jacquizz Rodgers for the first four games. Rodgers did an acceptable job, nothing special, as he averaged an unimpressive 3.8 yards per game and totaled 244 yards on the ground over the whole year.
When Doug Martin was finally back, he could not get anything going at all and looked nothing like the Muscle Hamster from 2015, the one we all hoped to see. Martin averaged a measly 2.9 yards per carry, which is by far the worst among all backs in the NFL who received more than 100 carries in 2017 (next on that list is Ameer Abdullah with 3.3 yards per carry). In addition to that, he gained only 406 yards and scored three touchdowns. To be fair, Tampa’s weak offense, in general, did not particularly help his cause, either.
All in all, Martin’s ineffectiveness lead the organization to consider other options for the Running Back position. Enter Peyton Barber, a second-year player out of Auburn, who was signed by Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent last season. Barber stepped in in Week 9 and played better than Martin. He received more and more carries as the season progressed and ended up taking the starting job from Martin. Barber ended the season with 108 totes and 423 yards, which is an average of 3.9. Those numbers are not spectacular, but they certainly reflect more effectiveness than Martin’s numbers. With two years in the system and a lot more carries under his belt, the young Running back is expected to increase those numbers in each category next year. As of now, it looks like he will be Tampa Bay’s starting Running Back by the start of the Regular Season. Then again, there is a lot of time left until then and the Bucs might acquire their Running Back of the future in the draft. There are other glaring needs, however, so they do not have the luxury to use an early pick on this highly overrated position. Crazier things have happened, though. The only Back that would make sense spending an early pick on is Saquon Barkley, as he is a true game-changer, a once-in-a-decade kind of player, but will he still be on the board when the Bucs are on the clock?
… Very doubtful!
Edited By: Morgan Adele
