Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 30 greatest players in franchise history

Mentioned in the previous slide, Davin Joseph blocked for one of the best running backs in Buccaneers history. The name Cadillac Williams is one of the most memorable in NFL history, but boy, was he an electric player.

Coming out of Auburn, Williams was the fifth overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft. Then head coach Jon Gruden has a very public affection for the running back. When he was there at No. 5, Gruden must have thought he hit the lottery.

Initially, the investment paid off heavily with Williams procuring an incredibly strong rookie season that culminated with him being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In the 2005 season, Williams ran for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns. Not hard to tell why he earned Rookie of the Year honors. Although Williams never truly replicated that type of production, Williams still played well over the next five seasons.

As is par for the course, injuries derailed two of Williams’ seasons and hampered others. Part of that could be attributed to a lackluster offensive line, but being a running back in the NFL is also simply a tough job. His career was over before the dreaded mark of 30 years old, the typical drop-off for running backs.

During his six seasons with Tampa Bay (finished his career with one season with the then St. Louis Rams) Williams amassed 3,677 yards, ranking fifth all-time for the Buccaneers. Unfortunately, fans will never know what could have been had Williams avoided the injury bug. Regardless, he did more than enough during his stint to earn a 24th place finish in this ranking of the best Buccaneers of all-time.