3 former XFL players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign
By Rob Leeds
Sticking with the Vipers, the Buccaneers will assuredly draft a running back in the 2020 NFL Draft, but having more depth at the position wouldn’t hurt.
The Bucs do not have a power back as it stands. Ronald Jones and Dare Ogunbowale are both smaller and shifty, and the running back that has been linked to Tampa Bay the most is Clyde Edwards-Helaire. This move would leave the Bucs without a good goal-line back, and that must be addressed.
Enter 6’3” 235 pound Jacques Patrick. Patrick may not be the most explosive option for the Buccaneers, but that isn’t what they need. Tampa Bay needs strength and power in short-yardage situations, and Jacques Patrick has a lot of both.
Patrick never earned the starting role for Florida State or the Vipers, but he did well with the opportunities that he was given. The bruiser running back was able to average 4.9 yards per carry in college and 4.2 yards per carry during his short time in the XFL.
If the Buccaneers were to draft any pass-catching running back in this draft, keeping Ogunbowale on the roster would become a moot point. Ronald Jones already has better hands than he is given credit for and the new back will probably already be skilled in that role.
In this situation, which seems more likely by the day, the Bucs would be better off bringing in Jacques Patrick to play in short-yardage situations as the power back.