Buccaneers training camp battle breakdowns: Third running back

Charles Sims

Charles Sims is an ironic guy to talk about because a lot of what can be said about Doug Martin can be said about him as well. The one year Sims spent healthy we saw what he could do. He averaged almost five yards per carry (4.9) and caught 51 passes. His abilities were a true “yin” to Martin’s “yang”. The year was 2015, Martin was second in the league in rushing and he got an appropriate amount of rest, thanks to Sims.

Just like Martin, however, Sims has been injured in the two surrounding years (2014 and 2016). Those years have not been kind to Sims. Over the two years Sims only managed three touchdowns and never rushed for over three yards per carry. He has also had trouble with protecting the football, losing four fumbles in his first three seasons. That’s not a track record that is easy to trust.

That’s not to say he doesn’t make splash plays every now and again:

His ability makes it so hard to figure out where he belongs. Sims is a great “change of pace” back when he is healthy. He just never seems to be healthy on a consistent basis. So what do the Bucs do? We keep coming back to the comfort factor. Jameis Winston likes to be comfortable with the weapons around him, and understandably so. Sims has been there for his entire career to date.

Can Sims show he is healthy enough to remain there or is it time to move on?