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Buccaneers: Five players to watch Friday night against the Bengals

By Alan Schechter

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands on the sidelines during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands on the sidelines during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Doug Martin #22 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Doug Martin #22 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

5. Doug Martin

Doug Martin will be a very interesting guy to watch, starting with the game against the Bengals. First of all, he will get a longer look than you would expect for a presumptive starter. As we all know, Martin is suspended for the first three games of the regular season. With that, he won’t be able to practice either. While the Bucs still have the opportunity to use him they are likely to give him extended reps so he can get in shape. From that standpoint it will simply be interesting to see how he fares.

There was a lot of lip service put out there by the Bucs staff regarding Martin during spring workouts. We heard from coaches as well as players that he looked great. Jason Licht said that Martin looks as good as he has ever seen him. Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, Winston believes that Martin is back. Is it true, or is it lip service? Are the Bucs just trying to keep their opponents on their toes? It’s a possibility and we will begin to see the answer on Friday night.

If he is not destined to stay with the team, Martin will be auditioning for other teams around the league. After the way 2016 ended, he needs to make good tape for himself. He needs to show the NFL at large that he is the good Doug Martin that ran for over 1,000 yards twice. The most recent evidence is of bad Doug Martin and that won’t get him a job on any team. At least not as a running back. Let’s see how he looks against the Bengals.

Next: Hard Knocks episode one recap

Enjoy the game, Bucs fans. Football has finally returned. Who are some of the players that you will be paying attention to in this one? Let us know.

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