You could argue that the NFC South has the best running backs in the entire NFL. The one team that may let the division down? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now I don’t want to sound too pessimistic and the current running back situation for the Buccaneers is by no means awful. But to compete with Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, and Todd Gurley, Tampa Bay needs a superstar to lighten the load on Brady and his receivers.
So how do the Buccaneers move from the worst backfield to the best in the NFC South in 2020?
The answer is quite simple – to compete with the others, Tampa Bay needs to draft D’Andre Swift, and will probably have to use a first-round pick to secure him.
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The Bucs have the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and unless something crazy happens, Swift will still be on the board here. The Bucs may even risk dropping back and still pick up Swift in the late first round. Licht has mentioned recently that the Bucs may go for the best player available rather than positional needs, and Swift, as the best RB in the draft, certainly fits into that bracket.
Is Swift worth the 14th pick? As a player, yes, but due to his position, probably not. Despite this, he is a generational talent who could take over as the face of the franchise when Tom Brady retires.
We need to remember that the Buccaneers are going to be facing CMC (23 y/o), AK41 (24 y/o) and Gurley (25 y/o) for a long time. These guys are all still young and if they stay healthy, they will no doubt be a thorn in Tampa’s side for years to come.
This is why we need an elite running back to compete every year. The Buccaneers haven’t had an elite running back since Warrick Dunn, but the time to get one is now. With Brady coming in and the best receiving corps in the league already in place, the Tampa offense could be terrifying with the addition of Swift.
How do the Bucs match up if they draft Swift?
The Bucs are still high on Ronald Jones, are rightly so. He’s a young and talented back himself. If Swift did come in, he would gradually share the load with RoJo and then become the starter. Let’s see how this combination matches up with our divisional rivals:
Panthers – quite frankly, if CMC gets hurt, the Panthers lose their run game. Give me Swift and RoJo over CMC on his own all day long. Verdict – BETTER
Falcons – Similar to the Panthers, the Falcons are heavily reliant on Todd Gurley going into this season. The days of ‘1-2 punch’ Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are long gone, and the Bucs will have a better backfield than Atlanta with the acquisition of Swift. Verdict – BETTER
Saints – The main contender. I’ve made no secret that Alvin Kamara is probably my favorite back in the NFL and he’s only going to get better. Accompanied by Latavius Murray and occasionally Taysom Hill, the Saints have the most established run game in the NFC South currently. If the Buccaneers draft Swift, they’ll rival the Saints for that title. Verdict – ON PAR.
Many Bucs fans will argue that this is a deep RB class and there’s no need to use a 1st round pick on Swift. Players like Clyde Edwards-Helaire will still be available in the second round which may be true.
Regardless, no other running back in this year’s class comes close to Swift in terms of talent and guaranteed day one production.
Swift is widely regarded as a future pro-bowler who can do everything Brady wants him to. He will be the most talented back the Bucs have had for years and instantly propel Tampa Bay to having arguably the best backfield combo in the division. And not to forget maybe the best offense ever seen in Tampa Bay.
BUCS FANS – is Swift the long term answer for the Bucs at running-back? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!