Could David Johnson, Arians reunite with Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

The stage may be set to reunite running back David Johnson and Bruce Arians with the Buccaneers after the Cardinals traded for Kenyan Drake early this week.

The start to the 2019 season on the ground has been questionable thus far for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Could they make a move for a former Arians’ running back, say, one David Johnson?

Backup Ronald Jones has been the best running back statistically for the Bucs yet has been on the field for less snaps than both Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale. The front office has inexplicably stuck with Peyton Barber as a starter despite his total lack of explosiveness.

It seems as though the coaching staff has tied themselves to Barber as a sign of loyalty even if that means that they are hamstringing themselves in the run game. The Bucs should look to move on from Barber and add a back that pairs well with Ronald Jones and also has a better skill in the pass game than Barber. The Buccaneers could potentially fill this void by adding running back and Arizona Cardinal David Johnson.

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While this move would not be nearly as good as simply giving Ronald Jones more touches as the rational person would do, Bruce Arians and the Bucs front office as a whole should probably have some questions raised regarding their decision making after the last game against the Titans. If the Bucs were able to get David Johnson while also moving away from Peyton Barber this would be seen as small victory in an otherwise very difficult season. Johnson brings a little more versatility to the Buccaneer offense and replacing Barber should be a priority for the Bucs.

This move does make sense once it is fully broken down even if it isn’t the best choice. Johnson was drafted under Arians and Arians has has also gone after a number of his older players when trying to help build depth for the Buccaneers. In addition to this, the Cardinals have started to increase the usage rate of Chase Edmonds and just traded for Kenyan Drake. With Drake and Edmonds on the team and with their youth it stands to reason that the Cardinals may try to move on from their veteran and often-injured starter.

David Johnson is middle of the pack as far as age at 27 but his many injuries should be a red flag. The Bucs should certainly move on or at least begin a transition away from Peyton Barber but that does not necessarily mean that they should move on from Ronald Jones. If the Bucs were to keep Rojo and add Johnson, Johnson could begin to play more in third down situations and Ronald Jones could take a decent share of the runs between the tackles. This would allow Jones to continue developing and could keep Johnson off of the IR.

Running back tandems have worked well in the past when there was a complimentary skillset between the backs as seen in New Orleans with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. While running backs are difficult to pay and retain, Johnson’s prowess as a pass catcher make him seem like a good fit with Tampa Bay. Johnson is even great when lining up at receiver as seen this year and could serve as a WR3 of sorts for the Bucs as they have already struggled to fill that role up until this point.

In six games so far this season Johnson has 298 yards on the ground and 315 yards through the air paired with five touchdowns. Averaging over 100 yards per game is definitely something that would help the Buccaneers in the long run and with Peyton Barber as the starter this seems like an unlikely reality.

Trading for and paying David Johnson is likely not the best move that the Buccaneers can make with the talent that they already have on roster in the form of Rojo but it also wouldn’t be the worst move that could be made considering their need for more pass-catching backs. Jones needs more touches and needs the ability to grow as a player as he is still very young but has a very high upside.

While this isn’t the best move to make, the Bucs unfortunately aren’t known for always making the best moves. This is a trade that could be beneficial for both teams and reunite a talented player with the coach that he found the most success of his career under. Don’t be surprised if Tampa Bay is linked to Johnson if he becomes a trade target or a free agent.