Buccaneers: Grading the Notable 2017 Free Agents
Jacquizz Rodgers
The Bucs had difficulty in the running game last season. We don’t know what is going to happen with Doug Martin, or whether Charles Sims will be back to his old self. Will Dalvin Cook or someone else be here? Maybe, but that remains to be seen. What Jason Licht did was secure his leading rusher from 2016 for the upcoming season and the one after that.
This move was one of Licht’s best of the 2016 season when he brought Rodgers in. He was out of work, and came on to lead the team in rushing with 560 yards on just 129 carries. At 4.3 yards per carry, he was by far the most explosive of the backs on the team last year. He showed what he could do as the lead back, posting back to back 100 yard performances in the middle of the season, including 154 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Licht made this happen for the next two years at a reasonable price. His contract is worth $3.3 million over two years, leaving his average salary at $1.65 million. This is a player that at the very least is a good player to be part of the rotation and at best, he can be the go to guy at the position.